Tomorrow's Bluegrass Stars Archives

New Generation Showcase comes to Jerusalem Ridge

The Jerusalem Ridge Bluegrass Celebration, held each year on the site of Bill Monroe’s homeplace in Rosine, Kentucky, is adding a new feature to highlight young performers this year.

On Saturday, September 14 – the third day of the 2024 festival – a New Generation Showcase will be part of the event, hosted in cooperation with Tomorrow’s Bluegrass Stars and The Baker Family. Young bluegrass artists and performers up to age 17 can attend special instrument workshops taught by members of The Baker Family, where everyone will be taught a song on their instrument which will be performed on stage later that afternoon.

Following the workshops, the stage will be opened to these youth performers from noon to 4:00 p.m. to showcase their skills. Participants will have the option of playing and/or singing alone, or to make up a group with others involved in the showcase.

The fee for each participant is only $25, which includes admission to the festival. Parents/grandparents who might accompany the young performers are also entitled to purchase discounted tickets.

Tomorrow’s Bluegrass Stars is an organization based in Arkansas that exists solely to promote and encourage young bluegrass artists, and help them grow and develop in the music. Young pickers and singers can become a member of TBS at no cost, and create a member page where other young grassers can connect with them. If you view their Members page, you’ll notice a great many artists now working professionally in bluegrass who have now aged out (20 years old), but who had been part of TBS while they were younger.

This youth showcase is not a competition, and it is intended for youngsters who are not currently in a professional band.

Executive Director of Ohio County Tourism Commission, Jody Flener, says that all young players are invited to take part.

“We are encouraging all bluegrass enthusiasts, plus those young musicians who just play one of the instruments, to come for the workshops. Youth is our future in bluegrass music, and what better place to break out your debut than at Bill Monroe’s Homeplace!”

Pre-registration for the New Generation Showcase can be completed on the Jerusalem Ridge ticket site. Questions can be sent by text (615-479-1078) or email.

In addition to the New Generation Showcase, Jerusalem Ridge will offer live music from September 12-15 with top acts on stage like Larry Sparks, Blue Highway, Ralph Stanley II, Authentic Unlimited, and many others.

Full festival details can be found online.

Woodsongs’ Michael Johnathon receives Tomorrow’s Bluegrass Stars Mentor Award

Folksinger and roots musician, Michael Johnathon, host of Woodsongs Old-Time Radio Hour, recently became the latest recipient of Tomorrow’s Bluegrass Stars Mentor Award. The Mentor Award is presented annually to individuals in appreciation for their outstanding support and encouragement of young bluegrass musicians.

On November 29, Tomorrow’s Bluegrass Stars President, Larry Smith, surprised Johnathon and his crew during a broadcast taping of WoodSongs Old-Time Radio Hour in Lexington, Kentucky at the Lyric Theater. The show featured an entire lineup of young, aspiring musicians and performers.

“Michael has been a staunch supporter for young folks for many years,” stated Smith. “We felt he deserved this award for his Woodsongs Kids segment. It has been such an honor for those kids who were invited to be on the show.”

The TBS president continued, “Since our founding 18 years ago by John Colburn, our nearly 450 kids have kept the love of bluegrass music alive. We appreciate the support from folks like Michael who give these kids a chance to show their talents. This award can only show a small portion of our gratitude for Woodsongs Kids.”

Johnathon is the creator and host of the WoodSongs Old-Time Radio Hour. The weekly live-music program is broadcasted to a radio audience of over two million listeners on 500 public radio stations, public television coast-to-coast, American Forces Radio Network in 177 nations, and the RFD-TV Network.

Johnathon became the second recipient of the award, following Ralph Stanley II. The Woodsongs host also recently received the prestigious Milner Award of the Arts in 2020.

Born in New York State, Johnathon moved to Laredo, TX, to work at a radio station. At the urging of Pete Seeger, he relocated to Kentucky, learned Appalachian folk traditions and music, and began performing. He is the screenwriter for the upcoming Caney Creek motion picture, a touring songwriter, author of five published books, playwright of the Walden Play performed in 42 countries, composer of the opera, Woody: For the People, and organizer of the national association of front porch musicians called Song Farmer. He recorded a project, Songs of Rural America, with the Ohio Valley Symphony, is a unique musical adventure with songs and stories that shaped a generation, from Appalachia to the Civil War, Henry David Thoreau to Vincent Van Gogh, George Gershwin to Buddy Holly. His latest book, WoodSongs 5, is slated for release in January 2022 along with his 18th studio album, Cosmic Banjo.

“Take the inventiveness of Bob Dylan, the melodic voice of John Denver, add the showmanship of Garrison Keillor, and that’s Michael Johnathon,” stated Bob Spear of Heartland Review.

Tomorrow’s Bluegrass Stars is a Kentucky-based non-profit organization which supports young, aspiring bluegrass musicians through encouragement, excitement, promotion, and awareness to preserve yesterday’s bluegrass music for tomorrow. TBS provides an environment where young musicians are discovered and valued for their musical abilities in bluegrass music. Most especially, it assures that the legacy of bluegrass music will be shared with current and future generations.

Ralph Stanley II receives Mentor Award from Tomorrow’s Bluegrass Stars

Libby Hall, Lauran Price-Napier, Wyatt Ellis, William Lawson, Ralph Stanley II, John Meador, and Ashlyn Smith

Earlier this month, at the Osborne Brothers Hometown Festival in Hyden, KY, Ralph Stanley II received a Menor Award from Tomorrow’s Bluegrass Stars, an organization dedicated to supporting and encouraging young bluegrass artists.

Larry Smith, President of TBS, was brought on stage during Ralph’s set with The Clinch Mountain Boys to hand him an engraved trophy that read:

For your support and Encouragement of young Bluegrass Musicians
From Tomorrow’s Bluegrass Stars, Inc – 2021

Smith also shared this video of the presentation on August 8.

Tomorrow’s Bluegrass Stars has spent the past 12 years identifying and offering support to aspiring bluegrass artists under 20 years of age. More than 300 members have come through in that time, and as they either marry or reach 20 years old, they are transferred to Mentor status, offering their assistance to newer, younger members. Over the years a number of current bluegrass music professionals have been members while in their teens, including Liam Purcell, Jaelee Roberts, Ryan Paisley, Carson Peters, Jacob Greer, Tray Wellington, Jacob Burleson, Josiah Tyree, Victoria and Bethany Kelley, Jacob Metz, Jake Goforth, and many more.

The organization lists as their mission statement…

To support young, aspiring bluegrass musicians through encouragement, excitement, promotion and awareness for them to preserve ‘yesterday’s’ bluegrass music for ‘tomorrow.’

Certainly a worthy endeavor. Well done all.

Tomorrow’s Bluegrass Stars Online Bluegrass Festival on track for tomorrow

Since we wrote last week about plans for an online youth bluegrass festival, hosted and promoted with Tomorrow’s Bluegrass Stars (TBS), we have learned from 17 year old organizer, Autumn Moore, that she has found enough young bands willing to participate, and some technical assistance in running things on the online side.

Her initial idea was to put together three days of music, streamed for free on Facebook and YouTube, consisting entirely of bluegrass groups with members under 20 years of age. This vision had it to structure a schedule just like a normal festival, with bands playing sets on a fixed schedule, but with each performing live from their own homes in groups of 10 or fewer.

After the call went out, Autumn has heard from so many interested groups that the very first TBS Online Bluegrass Festival has been extended to four days, starting tomorrow (4/9) from 5:00-11:00 p.m. (EST), and running each day through Easter Sunday. Online viewers can tune in by visiting the festival Facebook page, or YouTube channel to see and hear the best young entertainers bluegrass has to offer.

Moore says that it has grown beyond her wildest imaginings.

“Since the last time we talked, there are now 37 bands from 17 states signed up to be involved in the Festival! After first mentioning the idea for an online bluegrass festival, I never dreamed it would turn into such a unique and exciting event.”

Autumn’s duo act with her brother Canyon, Buffalo Mountain Bluegrass, are the official host band, to be joined by many well known family and youth bands over the next four days. Popular acts like Williamson Branch, Kentucky Just Us, and Silas Powell are on tap, along with dozens of other up-and-coming groups from all overt the US.

She has kindly shared the schedule for the next four days, and we encourage everyone who has been missing live bluegrass to log on and enjoy what is likely to become the future of our music. If you have youngsters in your family interested in traditional music, they are sure to enjoy seeing these precocious young artists.

Well done Autumn and TBS!

Tomorrow’s Bluegrass Stars launch online youth festival

Autumn Moore, a 17 year old bluegrass fiddler and singer in central Pennsylvania, has come up with a great idea to unite young pickers all over the country by organizing an online festival for Easter weekend. With so many families unable to travel or get together for a big Easter celebration, she figured it would be a fine time to organize an online event to promote and publicize budding grassers.

Moore and her 16 year old brother, Canyon, form a duet act called Buffalo Mountain who perform as often as their school schedules allow in their part of the Keystone State. Together they have launched their first event, along with a national organization to which they belong, Tomorrow’s Bluegrass Stars (TBS), which exists to connect young bluegrass artists all over the US and Canada. TBS currently has more than 350 members, all under the age of 20.

They have dubbed the online festival simply TBS Online Bluegrass Festival, and plan to host it on FaceBook and YouTube from April 10-12. They have a few groups lined up, but are sending out a call now for any other young bluegrass bands who might like to contribute a set. As the music will be provided through Facebook Live, any youth group with access to Facebook is invited to participate.

Mirroring the rules of TBS, acts who would like to perform in the festival need to be made up primarily of 20 and under musicians, though having a couple of adult members is not a disqualification. Autumn told us that she understands that a lot of young bands are family-based, and parents often perform with the kids. If enough acts are willing to participate, she expects to fill those three days with one performance after another for a full weekend worth of entertainment.

Much younger groups who don’t have a full 45 minute set of music prepared can be featured in shorter 15 minute segments, but the idea is to have all the music performed live. Artists who live in more remote areas without reliable internet access are still invited to participate by submitting a pre-recorded video.

Buffalo Mountain will serve as hosts for the TBS Online Bluegrass Festival, and have provided an online sign-up form for bands who would like to be a part of this fun event. No fees will be charged to watch, nor any to participate. Autumn says that fun is the key intent, and getting to meet virtually with other young pickers online. Participating groups do not need to be members of TBS to perform.

Membership in Tomorrow’s Bluegrass Stars is likewise open to anyone who plays bluegrass, as long as they are 20 or under. The group was launched in 2010 by John Colburn, specifically as a means for young folks to meet others their age. They hold get-togethers at major conferences like SPBGMA and IBMA, and as members age out at 21, they remain in TBS as mentors to assist the younger set. Prominent members who have gone on to wider success include Kentucky JustUs, Family Sowell, and Williamson Branch.

TBS is a non-profit organization, and there are no dues or fees associated with membership.

Autumn said that she and Canyon joined because where they live in Perry County, PA, there aren’t many other young pickers. Now, they have made lots of friends their age who pick in their TBS family.

Any early bluegrass adopter, Moore declared to her parent at age 2 that she wanted to play the fiddle, but they held off until she was 5. Both of her parents play, but don’t pursue it seriously. The year that she and Canyon started lessons, the family took an extended trip out west, and enrolled both of the kids in the Montana Bluegrass Camp, as it happened to coincide with the family’s travel plans.

She said that they both loved the friendly, accepting attitude they found in the bluegrass scene.

“We both liked bluegrass when we went to shows, and loved getting invited to take part in jams. The support and encouragement was something that really drew us in, and we found a teacher that could mentor us in this direction.”

Autumn has discovered quickly that organizing something like this is a lot of work, and is asking anyone with some experience with either Facebook or YouTube live to offer some assistance. She can be reached through the TBS Online Bluegrass Festival Facebook page.

She also asked us to thank Brayden Williamson for creating their festival logo.

Congratulations to Autumn for getting this off the ground. A full schedule will be posted soon on the Facebook page. Be sure to tune in over the Easter weekend to see some impressive up-and-coming bluegrass talent.