A rich history of music

Our Rich History

Back in the late 1980s, a group of bluegrass and folk musicians would gather for a monthly jam session at the home of Jim Waller, musician extraordinaire.

We’d come together with guitars, banjos, mandolins, harmonicas, an occasional bass or fiddle, as well as some European ethnic instruments. Pretty soon we outgrew Jim’s small room, or he’d have gigs, so we couldn’t go to his place. We eventually moved to Bayshore Mall in the food court area.

The group attracted an audience, too — a group of people we could presume could come to bluegrass events if they existed. In 1996, a group of us decided that it was time to become an official organization.

Our goal was (and is) to help bring bluegrass music to the area. From a group of 35, we’ve grown to a membership of about 300. Our annual bluegrass festival, The Big Thaw, continues to give local bands an opportunity to play both before diehard bluegrass fans and audiences with little familiarity with the music.