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From the detailed pages of his dynamic book ‘Hot Licks for Bluegrass Guitar’ to the many engaging seminars and lessons that he held, Orrin Star was a beloved and influential guitar instructor. DCBU celebrates this legacy with an annual scholarship in Orrin’s name.
DCBU will award an annual $500 Scholarship to help a promising student receive instruction from any of the available live or online options used for workshops or private instruction.
Instructors and students alike should review the application and consider the information and opportunity provided by this new scholarship program.
Instructors and students alike should review the application and consider the information and opportunity provided by this new scholarship program.
Eligibility: Applicants must be age 21 or younger who have been pursuing instrumental and/or vocal expression in bluegrass or old-time music. Awards are limited to residents of Washington, DC, Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, and Delaware.
To Apply, download the and complete the form. Submission instructions are located on the form.
Famed acoustic guitarist, David Anthony Rice was born in Danville, VA. He died on Christmas Day died at the age of 69. Tony was elected into the International Bluegrass Hall of Fame in 2013.
Chris Eldridge of the Punch Brothers wrote a tribute to Tony in Variety. Here’s the link to that article: Tony Rice Appreciation
After careful consideration our judges selected the following songs for this year’s contest.
1st place – Richmond John Lowell of Livingston, MT
2nd place – If They Could Put that in a Bottle by Dan Whitener of Matawan, NJ
3rd place – If I’d Only Tried by Bill McKay of Laramie, WY
Honorable mentions:
- Keep the River on Your Right by Kristen Grainger of Salem, OR
- Jesus the Refugee by Kevin Slick of Louisville, CO
- Chicken Wing Song by Buddy Guido of Mohawk, NY
The DCBU wishes to thank our judges, Alice Gerrard, Joe Newberry, Peter Rowan for the many hours they spent critically listening and evaluating this year’s submissions.
See the list of past Winners here.
Proceeds from the Hazel Dickens Songwriting Contest help support the nonprofit DC Bluegrass Union in its mission to promote bluegrass music in the greater Washington, DC area through performance and education.
Those of us in the DC area had a special treat viewing this year’s IBMA World of Bluegrass award ceremony: Induction of the Johnson Mountain Boys into the Bluegrass Hall of Fame. They join recent DC-area inductees Mike Auldridge, Bill Emerson, and the original Seldom Scene – a lot of music to be thankful for!
Whereas the Seldom Scene has been called the “gateway drug” for bluegrass listeners new to the music in the ‘70s, the Johnson Mountain Boys during the ‘80s delivered the hard stuff. Their vocals and drive brought fresh spirit and soulfulness to the music in its more traditional forms. DCBU extends thanks and congratulations to the JMB!
For the virtual award presentation, the ceremony for the Johnson Mountain Boys had been pre-recorded at the Lucketts Community Center, site of the JMB’s Grammy-nominated 1988 recording, “At the Old Schoolhouse.” Comments on-stage there were augmented by videos of thanks from Eddie Stubbs, Richard Underwood, and Tom Adams individually.
IBMA’s video of the full award show can be viewed at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=corHW6KWe6A, with the JMB segment starting at 1:08. Also on the occasion, Katy Daley interviewed Dudley Connell about the band’s origins, in her Bluegrass Stories podcast at https://soundcloud.com/bluegrassstories/dudley-jmbhof/s-72IWnReu8gU.
Congratulations to DCBU’s long-time partner in the DCBU Bluegrass and Old-Time Camp! The State of Maryland Arts Council has designated Common Ground on the Hill as a Regional Folklife Center. The staff at Common Ground have certainly earned this recognition and the resources it can make available to them.
Folklife Center designation makes Common Ground on the Hill eligible for grants, administered through the “Maryland Traditions” state folklife program, supporting activities that present the living cultural traditions of Maryland’s diverse communities. We’re proud to have our Camp each year be a part of Common Ground’s annual “Traditions Weeks” program.
A new chapter is beginning for Bluegrass Unlimited, long associated with its late publisher, Pete Kuykendall. After being published in Northern Virginia for over 50 years, this indispensable resource for the bluegrass community worldwide has a new affiliation: The Bluegrass Hall of Fame and Museum, in Owensboro, KY, is assuming the role of publisher.
With this change comes an important moment to give thanks for the huge gift that the magazine’s writers and editors – especially the many stalwarts from our own area – have been giving us every month. Thank you, BU! Keep on printing – and pickin’.
For more info about Bluegrass Unlimited:Membership
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