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Pictured from left: Jimmy, Earl Tillery, Anthony, Tommy Scruggs, and Ray Martin with their 25 rabbits. |
Back On The Road To Bean Blosom
A few nights ago we had
a pleaseant surprise as Dwight Dillman brought Jimmy Martin to
our house for a visit. I'm pleased to report that Jimmy is in
good health once again. Jimmy let out two big yodels for me before
he walked out the door! That night after they left, he and Derek
picked until 2:00 in the morning!! Dwight and his family said
they felt honored to have Jimmy as a guest in their home near
Peru, IN.
Jimmy has been doing a lot of hunting this
winter from October through February. His last rabbit hunt was
on February 28,1999, and Jimmy said he has now ended his rabbit
hunting for this season. Jimmy was recently in Indiana hunting
with Russ Bellar, the #1 coon hunter in the world. Russ was very
nice to Jimmy and gave him a #1 rated squirrel dog, which he
now calls Minnie Pearl.
Jimmy is now back on the road traveling in
his big red Bean Blossom tour bus. He is looking forward to another
great season of music and to seeing all his friends at Bean Blossom
on the 19th of June. Be there for a 30 year reunion with Jimmy,
Doyle Lawson and some of the former Sunny Mountain Boys.
Hoosier Lawmakers Honor Bill Monroe
There was much concern when bluegrass music was played in the Rotunda of the Indiana State Capitol in on Wednesday, March 31, 1999. by Melvin Goins & Windy Mountain and Talmadge Law & the Bluegrass Sounds. Melvin Goins spoke about the late Bill Monroe and the music he created. Bill Friend, State Representative from District 23, was to introduce a bill to the Indiana House of Representatives that day to designate the portion of Indiana State Road 135 that runs from Morgantown through Bean Blossom to Nashville, Indiana, BILL MONROE MEMORIAL HIGHWAY. But a discussion about a different matter caused the Speaker of the house to adjourn the body of lawmakers before the bill could be introduced.. But the bill was introduced the next week and two weeks later the Indiana State Senate concurred and the resolution was passed. The following is a portion of House Concurrent Resolution # 59:
Whereas, William Smith ("Bill")
Monroe was born in the neighboring State of Kentucky, but first
performed on the radio in Hammond, Indiana in 1930:
Whereas, He was the originator and founder
of a unique style of American country music known as "Bluegrass,"
which is now enjoyed and performed by people all over the world;
Whereas, Bill Monroe had a deep affection for
the State of Indiana, and in particular, Brown County, Indiana,
and owned and operated a music park in Bean Blossom, Indiana
from 1953 until his death. He wrote and performed songs about
Brown County, and the State of Indiana, and was named a Sagamore
of the Wabash by both Governors Bowen and Bayh:
Whereas, Bill Monroe moved his Blue Grass Museum
and Hall of Fame from Nashville, Tennessee, to Bean Blossom,
Indiana;
Whereas, the bluegrass music festival held
each year since 1967 in the month of June at Bean Blossom, Indiana,
has now become the oldest continuously running bluegrass festival
in the world, has become world famous, and has drawn fans to
the Hoosier State from all over the world;
Whereas, Bill Monroe, an artist of great musical
genius, and a poet of American folklore continued as a active
performer until age 84, despite serious health problems that
would have defeated men of lesser mettle; and
Whereas, Bill Monroe became a legend in his
own lifetime, and upon his death on September 9, 1996, generated
a world-wide outpouring of media coverage of his career and contributions
to American culture: Therefore be it resolved by the House of
Representatives of the General Assembly of the State of Indiana,
the Senate concurring:
SECTION 1. That the Indiana General Assembly honors the life and accomplishments of William Smith Monroe by asking the Indiana Department of Transportation to designate that part of Indiana Highway #135 between Morgantown and Nashville, Indiana, which passes through Bean Blossom, Brown County, Indiana as the Bill Monroe Memorial Highway.
SECTION 2. That the Principal Clerk of the Indiana House of Representatives transmit a copy of this resolution to the commissioner of the Indiana department of transportation and to the Blue Grass Museum and Hall of Fame in Bean Blossom, Indiana
Bill Monroe was a member of the Grand Ole Opry from 1939 until his death in 1996. He was also a member of the Country Music Hall of Fame, the Songwriter's Hall of Fame, the Bluegrass Hall of Fame, SPBGMA's Preservation Hall of Greats and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Mr. Monroe received the first Grammy Award presented to a bluegrass musician, and was presented the National Medal of the Arts by President Bill Clinton.
Frank Overstreet
Bean Blossom chosen as a Local Legacy:
The Library of Congress,
founded in 1800, is the oldest cultural institution in the United
States and the largest library in the world. As a part of its
bicentennial celebration in 2000, United States Senators and
Representatives were invited to submit to the Library documentation
of significant and worthy events held in their respective jurisdictions.
The submissions accepted by the Library are designated as "Local
Legacies" and they become a part of a permanent display
of current American culture.
Representative Baron Hill of the Ninth Congressional
District of Indiana submitted the Bill Monroe Memorial Annual
Bluegrass Festival at Bean Blossom as such an event and it was
accepted and designated as a Local Legacy by the Library of Congress.
This is an important recognition by the Library that this festival,
initiated by Bill Monroe himself and continued by James Monroe
and Dwight Dillman, has now become a historic and significant
cultural event in the United States. This year's festival is
the 34th annual, and is believed to be the oldest continuous
annual bluegrass festival in the world.
The documentation submitted by Representative
Hill consists of over forty pages of historical text, supplemented
by photographs, video tapes, news clippings, magazine articles,
and the MCA album "Bean Blossom." The Local Legacy
projects are listed and described on the Library of Congress'
Internet Home Page, which can be found at http://lcweb.loc.gov/,
click on "bicentennial", then "Local Legacies",
and "Project Listing." A direct link to the Bean Blossom
page is: http://lcweb.loc.gov/bicentennial/propage/IN/in-09_h_hill4.html
I believe Mr. Monroe would
be proud of this well deserved recognition of his important contributions
to American music and culture.
Jim Peva
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Click on the pictures above to view a larger version.
Things don't change much in Brown
County, Indiana
The older picture on the
left, used courtesy Lilly Library, Indiana University, Bloomington,
IN, was taken by Frank Hohenberger in 1925 and it shows Felix
(on the left), and Chris Brummet, standing by a mailbox in Brown
County.
The picture on the right taken by Jim Peva
in 2002, shows WM Bentley (on the left), and Robert Hannemann,
standing by a mailbox on the Bean Blossom festival grounds.