The Author

To: The IBMA Board of Directors and all concerned bluegrass fans.

From: Barry R. Willis, November 19, 2000

Quick - Name a city associated with jazz!
I come up with Chicago, Portland OR, and New Orleans.

Now - name a city associated with Dixieland: New Orleans comes to mind. Blues? Memphis, Chicago. Country music? Branson or Nashville.

Now - name a city associated with bluegrass... Nope; Nashville and Washington, D.C., only have a couple of venues which embrace bluegrass. Nashville couldn't be it because it's too involved with country music and I wonder about their motives (they've succeeded in destroying much of what country music should be). Washington's association with bluegrass is of the past, not the present. Owensboro? Not really. Only IBMA people would possibly recognise the city's association with bluegrass. It's certainly not recognised as a bluegrass town outside our community. Actually, then, there is no city which can be identified with bluegrass as the cities above are identified with a certain kind of music. Bluegrass needs its own city! Thus the reason for this letter. I have some ideas on this topic and hope you will spend a few minutes with me reading this letter, then follow it up with IBMA Board members for further discussion.

In this letter we'll discuss which city we could choose as our own and some ideas on how to do it.

To make this idea reality, we'll have to concentrate our efforts through the IBMA; it has the organisation to make this possibleand I believe the idea should be a prime function of the Association. I believe the Mission Statement concurs with this idea. It reads, "The International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA) is a professional trade association dedicated to promoting and expanding the success of bluegrass music."

Which cities might we choose? A little analysis on your part might come up with a couple candidate cities: those which might be potentially linked with our wonderful music. Nashville? Washington? Branson? Owensboro? Or even Grass Valley, California? How about Louisville?

I believe that Louisville should be our city of choice so I'll address this discussion accordingly. I must eliminate Owensboro from the discussion for several reasons including lack of easy geographical access, convention facilities and venue infrastructure. Only the International Bluegrass Music Museum is a drawing card there, not a substantial population base or any of the other needs to make this happen.

Let's take a cursory look at the city. Louisville is a nice, clean city with an excellent transportation system: easy access to the rest of the world by road, airlines or even river. We now hold our Trade Show and the World of Bluegrass there and plan to do so in the foreseeable future. Louisville's WFPK has its own bluegrass show every Sunday night with local Berk Bryant as its host. Berk has been a bluegrass radio icon in the area for many years now. The Kentucky Fried Bluegrass Festival was a part of thecity for many years and many, many folks can recall attending the festival and the band contest associated with it. And Louisville is still in Kentucky, a requisite for many bluegrass aficionados who prefer to keep it in the state from which bluegrass music got its name. And I think the Louisville city planners and Chamber of Commerce would heartily embrace the idea described here.

So, how do we do it? Let's outline a few preliminary steps-goals, if you will:

• Those involved should understand that such an idea as this one takes years to pay off, starting from this letter to the involvement of the IBMA and other organisers, then followed up by bluegrass promoters and booking agents making a concentrated effort to send bluegrassbands to Louisville. The IBMA should offer its help to Louisville in getting our bands into its town; don't expect the town to know how to contact our bands.
• IBMA should make this a priority. We should embrace it and promote Louisville as "our" city in our promotional activities.
• When meeting with Louisville officials, the IBMA should send in its "big guns" (top officials) for this one, starting with the premise that the city is the most important factor in this idea and essential for the idea to succeed. The first meeting with these folks should at least be with our president, executive director and secretary.
• Approach not only the Chamber of Commerce of Louisville but also its clubs such as Kiwanis, Rotary, etc.. They could wield considerable power if called upon to do so.
• These above named organisations would then, in turn, contact bar owners and venue owners about this plan to have bluegrass music regularly in their town. They should be enticed to embrace this idea with all the vigour at their disposal. This is a most-critical aspect of this idea if it is to succeed.
• The Education in Schools Committee should be actively involved. Let's start 'em young; enable them to know and appreciate bluegrass music at an early age. By the time the kids grow up, they would actually seek the bars and other events which include bluegrass music.
• The identification of Louisville as a bluegrass city would be helped along significantly bystreet banners declaring that the city is now associated with bluegrass. Travel brochures would include the declaration of Louisville as a "bluegrass city."
• Continuation of the Galt House as host of the World of Bluegrass.

After all these things have occurred, you'll find more bluegrass books in stores and libraries, more bluegrass music for sale, more bars and restaurants signing on for a bluegrass band on a Saturday night or even for a weekday.

We may eventuallysee our Museum moved from Owensboro to Louisville. But since there is a lot of money and prior agreements involved between the City of Owensboro and the IBMM, this may take a long while to occur, if ever. As much as I'd like our museum to be in Louisville, it may never actually happen because of the strings attached. I wouldn't count on this happening.

Folks, I believe the IBMA should embrace this idea as its own. If you agree, contact the Board of Directors members and discuss it with them. They are: Andy Owens, Mike Drudge, Art Menius, Kirk Brandenberger, Bill Evans, Andrea Compton, Jim Winger, Bev Paul, Murphy Henry, Terry Woodward, Nancy Cardwell, Missy Raines, David Crow, Greg Cahill, Jed Malischke, Terry Herd, Kitsy Kuykendall and Wayne Bledsoe. The officers are: President Pete Wernick, VP Bertie Sullivan, Secretary Saburo Watanabe Inoue, Treasurer Brenda Clayton and Legal Counsel Larry Harrington.

Sincerely in bluegrass,
Barry R. Willis Write to
Tel: 808-325-0321
73-1400 Hamiha St.,
Kailua-Kona, Hawaii 96740
author/publisher of America's Music: Bluegrass www.pinevalleymusic.com

1st Dec 2000