Bluegrass
Raleigh will play host to the annual International Bluegrass Music Association’s World of Bluegrass festival for the next three years.
Previously held in Nashville, Tenn., the IBMA is planning a five-day format for the festival and the 24th Annual International Bluegrass Music Awards Sept. 24-28 at the Duke Energy Center for the Performing Arts.
Katherine Coe, an administrative and media assistant with the International Bluegrass Music Association and a former Raleigh resident, said the IBMA was attracted to the city because of the close proximity of conference venues like the Raleigh Convention Center and the Duke Energy Center for Performing Arts.
“The prices are very good in Raleigh,” Coe said.
Coe said the IBMA estimated 13,000 people attended the event over a seven-day span during the 2012 festival. Nashville experienced a $3.7 million boost to its economy from the people who had visited the city during the 2012 event, according to Coe.
World of Bluegrass, with its Wide Open Bluegrass street festival, is estimated to draw more 16,000 to Raleigh with an impact of $9.9 million.
The IBMA is committed to a network of people that is “working together for high standards of professionalism, a greater appreciation for our music, and the success of the world wide bluegrass community.”
North Carolina and bluegrass music have a longstanding relationship that dates back to when early settlers first sprawled out across the southern Appalachian Mountains.
According to the IBMA website, “The invention of the phonograph and the onset of the radio in the early 1900s brought this old-time music out of the rural Southern mountains to people all over the United States.”
Two North Carolinians, Earl Scruggs and Carlton Haney helped elevate the status and relevance of bluegrass music across the United States.
Scruggs helped develop a unique style of banjo-playing when he joined Bill Monroe’s bluegrass band from Kentucky in 1945. His three-finger picking style became his trademark.
Haney, who is from Reidsville, is credited with creating and organizing the first bluegrass music festival, held at Fincastle, Va. in 1965.
Sometimes called “mountain music” or “country music,” bluegrass songs originally reflected the rural lifestyle of the early settlers of Appalachia, according to the IBMA website.
African American gospel music and dance music and ballads from Ireland, Scotland and England have had a great influence on bluegrass.
The banjo, fiddle and guitar are musical instruments brought together by bluegrass country music, according to the IBMA website.
The IBMA has members in 50 states and 30 countries, according to the website.
In addition to the classic style born in 1945 that is still performed widely, bluegrass bands today reflect influences from a variety of sources including jazz, contemporary country music, Celtic music, rock & roll, old-time music and Southern gospel music in addition to lyrics translated to various languages, according to the IBMA website.
The soundtracks from movies such as Deliverance and Oh Brother Where Art Thou showcased this unique subset of country music to a wider audience.
Those interested in attending the International Bluegrass Music Awards festival should consult the association’s website. As of March 1 non-members can begin requesting tickets to this year’s festival.