Description
Book SynopsisA long look back at the home of legendary bluegrass festivals and jamborees
Trade Review"Bean Blossom offers much-needed insights into one of the most important bluegrass music festivals. . . . Bluegrass aficionados and Bean Blossom regulars will certainly appreciate the care and attention that Adler has paid to the fan communities that have thrived in Brown County and across the globe."--Notes
"A welcome addition to the growing body of literature on the history of bluegrass. A clearly written and accessible book that combines history and folklore and offers an important case study of two twentieth-century musico-social phenomena: the rual country music park and the bluegrass festival."--
American Music "An important book in that it weaves together bluegrass music, the changing demographics of the music, the development of the music industry, and the evolving economic elements of staging events in the music park."--
Journal of American Folklore"Bean Blossom seems to be the ideal subject for an extended historical study such as this. Loaded with facts and details, the unfolding story is so interesting and engrossing. I read it with delighted recognition and remembrance."--John Wright, author of
Traveling the High Way Home: Ralph Stanley and the World of Traditional Bluegrass MusicTable of ContentsPreface ix Acknowledgments xiii Introduction: Rural Country Music Parks xv 1. Brown County History and Roots 1 2. Origins of the Brown County Jamboree, 1939-41 12 3. The Rund Family's Brown County Jamboree, 1941-51 21 4. Bill Monroe's Brown County Jamboree Park, 1952-57 48 5. Survivals, Revivals, and Arrivals, 1958-66 66 6. Building the Festivals, 1967-68 90 7. The Festival Becomes a Landmark, 1969-71 108 8. The Festival's Golden Age, 1972-82 123 9. Festival People and Lore 145 10. Bill and James Monroe's Festival Park, 1983-97 159 11. Renaissance, Continuity, and Change, 1998 and After 179 Notes 191 List of Interviews 209 Bibliography 213 Index 221 Illustrations follow page 122
