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Here are just some of the achievements, gleaned from the pages of BBN, of our home grown bluegrass musicians over the last 10 years.

1990

• Monroes Revenge are doing their stuff at the STC Club Foots Cray.
• The Bluegrass Ramblers' tour the UK and release the cassette, Bluegrass Reel.
• The Pete Stanley Band is picking at the Mornington Arms, Camden Town on Wednesdays and, not far away at the Old Eagle on Sundays.
• Cat's Cradle have a memorable reunion to play Worthing's Bluegrass by the Shore.

1991

• Fiddler, Phil Newton joins The Tom Travis Bluegrass Band and Paul Bishop is replaced by Johnny Hulme, on banjo.
• Rick Townend and Rosie Davies release the cassette, Play Loves Tune.
• Dave 'Frets' Bresnen's wife Gaynor gives birth to daughter Bethany immediately after hosting a Butch Waller, Kathy Kallick and Sally Van Meter event.

1992

• Chris Moreton and Tom Travis, light-heartedly, discuss the Edale musicians' Contest at Edale on BBC Radio 4's 'You and Yours'.
• Phil and Eve Thrift leave the UK to pick bluegrass for Euro Disney.
• Southern Exposure release their tape 'Raw Material'
• An exciting new band 'Bluegrass Brothers' is formed
• IMBA's International CD 'Long Journey Home' released, featuring 5 Brit bands.
• Sound in Mind release cassette 'Riding Down the Canyon'.

1993

• 9 year old banjo player Jake Nichols appears on BBC, TV show 'Jim'll Fix It' with a support band including Pete Stanley.
• Generation Gap tour in the USA.
• David Ellis of Chelmsford wins Martin D28 Guitar in BBMA raffle.
• Dave Howard replaces long time member Chris Wing on mandolin with The Tom Travis Band.
• The Down County Boys celebrate 30 years as a band.
• Johnny Plank play in a primary school in Britain before touring Belgium.
• Bluegrass beaver Rick Townend joins Mick Audsley and the rest of the Echo Mountain Band in the recording studio.

1994

• Grass Roots release their excellent CD 'Full Circle'.
• The Tom Travis Band tour as backing band and support to Australian singer Jane Saunders.

1995

• The BBMA CD launched at Battersea Arts Centre.
• Brit banjo player Bill Peck wins 'Bluegrass Battle of the Bands' banjo award out in Los Angeles.
• The Down County Boys release popular CD 'Sit by the River'.
• Tom Travis sings lead with The Seldom Scene at Blackburn.

1996

• The Acme Band re-launch with five members and a new recording.
• Awards are made at BBMA Winterfest/AGM and the recipients are: The Down County Boys - best traditional band; Daily Planet - best progressive bluegrass band: Chris Moreton - best instrumentalist, and Rosie Davis - best vocalist.
• Tom Travis writes and presents the BBC Radio 2 series Bluegrass Ramble.

1997

• Chris Moreton wins Guitar magazine's Acoustic Guitarist of the Year competition. (Report) (Photo, right)
• Progressive banjo player Paul Bishop, with the Driver Brothers, release landmark recording Fuelin' Banjos.
• Tom Travis performs at Cambridge Folk Festival with backing from Laurie Lewis, Tom Rosum and Todd Philips.
• The Down County Boys play support to 60's pop idol Joe Brown.
• The Acme Band sing gospel in Durham Cathedral.
• Mike Fenton, Brit autoharp player, elected to the American based 'Autoharp Hall of Fame'.

1998

• Banjo picker Richard Collins and mandolin virtuoso Simon Mayor appear on BBC radio 4's 'Loose Ends' and Richard wows everyone with a banjo joke.
• Fracas on the Frets, the CD by the Townend Special Bluegrass Service, is released.
• Classy new band 'Blackjack' is formed.
• Blackjack members, Garry Payne and Sherryl Winters marry (Photo)
• Virtuoso pickers Howard and Steven Yates tour with classical chart sensations The Mediaeval Baebes.
• Jim Irons leaves The Down County Boys to pursue career as a professional Country singer.

1999

• Revered fiddler Bob Winquist runs a series of Bluegrass Fiddle workshops at the Hemingford Arms, London.
• Tape of Dave Plane and the late Andy Townend 'Past Echoes' - is made available.
• New Band Blackjack releases first C.D. 'Where There's a Will'. (Review)
• Exciting young band, Jane on Thunder, performs at the Wadebridge Folk Festival.
• New band, Three Tuns of Grass, is formed.

2000

• Nottingham mandolin player Geoff Bowers  (right) joins The Down County Boys.
• Blackjack represents England at Ulster American Folk Park.
• Alice Coleman, Richard Collins and Bob Winquist provide backing for Sharon Court at A1 Festival.
• Bluegrass sister Gill Barnham has them weeping at Yorkshire Dales with her rendition of 'Home Place'.
• A1 Festival organiser and bass player Gill Harrison gets a grip on scratch band and tutors concerts at Sore Fingers 2000.
• Veterans Stanley and Golbey wow them at Athy.

(Continued next time.... Festival Highlights)

Tom Travis, Back Rowarth, Stockport.

1st Feb 2001