Bluegrass Music Needs a Swift Kick in the Butt

Tweet

Last Wednesday the annual International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA) award nominations were announced. Everything around the announcement indicated to me that someone needs to kick bluegrass in the butt and get it revitalized. Unlike previous years, there was no live coverage. A friend said there weren't even any live tweets coming out of the announcements. Once the nominations were posted, I could see why: same ol' same ol'. I appreciate the fact that IBMA, unlike other genres, accepts fans' input. But come on, people! They've had the exact same nominees for the various instrumental awards for years, if not decades. Mark it down now: Michael Cleveland will win best fiddler, and Rob Ickes will win best dobro. Are they the "best?" That's debatable, because "best" is subjective. They are outstanding musicians, but I truly believe that people feel compelled to vote for them because they're in a Fiddler on the Roof-like trap of "Tradition!!" It speaks volumes, and not in a good way, about the stagnation of bluegrass music when last year's big award winner, the Earls of Leicester, is nothing but a Flatt & Scruggs tribute band. Oh, they're terrific, spot-on with their impersonation (yes, they impersonate Lester Flatt's voice), and the pun in the band's name (which is pronounced "the Earls of Lester") is great, but really? Are we going to be giving Grammy awards to 1964 (a Beatles tribute band, reported to be the best one out there), Brit Floyd (a Pink Floyd tribute act), or Same As It Ever Was (a Talking Heads tribute act) now? This reminds me of another period of stagnation, in the 80s, when major bluegrass performers like Ricky Skaggs and Keith Whitley (who'd played together in bluegrass) "went country." Progressive or "newgrass" was doing better than the traditional stuff. And, remember, back then Monroe, Ralph Stanley, and Jimmy Martin were all still alive and active on the bluegrass circuit! Now nearly all of the first-generation bluegrass performers (with the exception of Mac Wiseman, who's 91) are gone (Melvin Goins passed away last week). Several second-generation acts are getting up there in age or (like Tony Rice) are ill. Bands with the fire in them to preserve bluegrass music's rich heritage, such as the Johnson Mountain Boys who kick-started the upswing in the 80s, aren't out there right now. Even the band that was considered the biggest act in bluegrass, Dailey and Vincent, now tour with a drummer (which technically removes them from "bluegrass," because if you know anything about bluegrass you know that drums and electric instruments are anathema). On top of all of this, one of the most legendary bluegrass radio stations in America, WAMU, is up for sale. If it's not sold by the end of the year it'll cease operations. And several bluegrass festivals that once thrived are gone. Yeah, bluegrass needs a good swift kick in the butt..or the defibrillator used to shock the life back into it. The incredible Johnson Mountain Boys from "back in the day":