15 Hall of Famers Set for Monroe Centennial Celebration

Fifteen members of the Bluegrass Hall of Fame will perform with their respective bands during the International Bluegrass Music Museum’s Bill Monroe Centennial Celebration, September 12, 13 & 14, 2011. The 3-day celebration takes place at the Bluegrass Museum and RiverPark Center’s Cannon Hall, next door to the Museum in Owensboro, Ky. The event celebrates the life and 100th birthday of Bill Monroe, popularly known as the Father of Bluegrass Music, who was born in nearby Rosine, Kentucky on September 13, 1911.

Performers include Earl Scruggs, Ralph Stanley, Jesse McReynolds, J. D. Crowe, Bobby Osborne, Eddie Adcock, Tom Gray, Curly Seckler, Everett Lilly, The Lewis Family, Bill Clifton, Doug Dillard, Rodney Dillard, Melvin Goins, and Paul Williams. Special guests include The Dismembered Tennesseans and the guest of honor James Monroe, who will be performing with his band. James performed with his father Bill Monroe for many years as one of the Blue Grass Boys.

The Centennial Celebration will feature a legendary reunion of the Pioneers of Bluegrass—musicians who began working before 1960—and the Blue Grass Boys, veterans of Bill Monroe’s band over the years. The Pioneers and Blue Grass Boys will perform on stage and interact informally during jams, discussions and as audience members.

During the Centennial Celebration, the museum will premier a documentary film featuring the story of Bill Monroe as told by the Blue Grass Boys’ remembrances through the decades. An exhibit of the Blue Grass Boys’ artifacts will open, as well as an exhibit by photographer and former Blue Grass Boy, Gene Lowinger. The museum will also premier an original musical based on Bill Monroe’s life called Young Monroe.

The Bill Monroe Centennial Celebration will take place immediately following the 6th annual Monroe-Style Mandolin Camp, a one-of-a-kind camp devoted to teaching the mandolin performance style of Bill Monroe. The camp takes place September 9-11, 2011 at the International Bluegrass Music Museum. There is an All-Star Faculty Camp Concert at the Museum on September 10, 2011.

Tickets to the Centennial Celebration are limited to 1,500 and sold in advance by reservation only. Ticket prices are tiered for the three days filled with exclusive events, concerts, exhibits, interviews and field trips. Three-day passes range from $175 to $100. To purchase tickets to this once-in-a-lifetime event, call 270-926-7891 or go online at www.bluegrassmuseum.org.

For more information about coordinated Centennial Celebration events throughout Kentucky, see the dedicated Website at created by the Owensboro Daviess County Convention & Visitor’s Bureau.