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The acoustic music tradition
goes back hundreds of years. As in the Appalachian region of
the United States, the natives of hilly Brown County, Indiana,
have played acoustic string music for generations, but it was
a Kentucky native, Bill Monroe, with his high-mountain tenor
voice and unique mandolin style, that made bluegrass music what
it is today. It was in October of 1951, while performing on the
road, that Grand Ole Opry star Bill Monroe traveled to a small
town in Indiana called Bean Blossom to perform at the Brown County
Jamboree. He fell in love with the area immediately and in December
of 1951 decided to purchase the property making it his home away
from home.
In June, 1967, at the insistence of promoter
Carlton Haney, Bill Monroe held his first two-day bluegrass festival,
which he called a Blue Grass Celebration, at Bean Blossom. He
brought his musician friends together to play the high lonesome
sound he had pioneered. This first festival was held in the Brown
County Jamboree Barn and was so well attended that Bill decided
to have it annually and to build an outdoor stage to accommodate
a bigger audience. In June of 1968, people from all over the
country came to hear the Father of Bluegrass and his legendary
Blue Grass Boys perform, as well as other top name bluegrass
artists and Grand Ole Opry stars. The artists performed on a
newly-constructed stage that sat at the bottom of a wooded amphitheater
surrounded by loyal bluegrass fans. Festival patrons gathered
in the fields, in the woods, at campsites, just about anywhere
they felt like, so they could pick and sing the music they loved
so much.
Over the years the festival has grown and the
grounds have been improved. The sounds of bluegrass still echo
through the hills and trees, with the spirit of Bill Monroe all
around us. Despite his death in 1996, the history and tradition
at Bean Blossom continues. In the fall of 2000, the International
Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA), selected the 34th Annual
Bill Monroe Memorial Bean Blossom Bluegrass Festival as Event
of the year. That is quite an honor considering the hundreds
of bluegrass festivals that are held every year. And in May 2001,
the annual Bill Monroe Memorial Bean Blossom Bluegrass Festival
was recognized as a Local Legacy for the State of Indiana
by the Library of Congress, becoming a permanent display.
Today the memorial festival keeps his memory
alive through six days, expanded to eight days in 2002,
of the very best bluegrass has to offer. Boasting the top talents
in bluegrass, this festival draws pickers, grinners and listeners
from near and far. This music is celebrated all week with the
acoustical instruments and vocal harmonies of groups of musicians.
Due to the success of this festival, we have
now grown to host several festivals a year. Since bluegrass
attracts pickers as well as listeners, you just might find as
much entertainment walking around the campground as on stage.
Come visit us and you will more than likely make a few friends
in the process.
Now established as the site of the oldest
continuous running bluegrass festival in the world, Bean
Blossom's natural beauty has been enhanced by the careful grooming
of the festival grounds. Colorful flower beds exist where none
had been before; roads and campsites are named for performers
and faithful bluegrass fans; a walking trail is marked where
Bill Monroe always took early morning walks around his property;
and soon the lake will be equipped with fountains to combat algae
and beautify the scenery. The walls of the office, museum, and
gift shop are lined with rare historic photographs. Couple all
this with top-flight bluegrass talent, which Dillman always books,
and you have the formula for a wonderful entertainment experience
that you will long remember.
This
is a listing of pages dealing with some of the history here at
the Bill Monroe Memorial Music Park & Campground. To go to
any of these pages, click on the button above each page's name
in the list below.
Festival Report Archive
Reports on how
some of our festivals went |
Blue Grass Boys
A listing of
known Blue Grass Boys |
Memories
Memories of Bill Monroe
& past festival
experiences at Bean Blossom |
Past Performers
A listing of performers
who have played at Bean Blossom |
Bean Blossom Side Notes
A few interesting
things about Bean Blossom |
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