(Click on pictures for full-size images)

Casey Henry

Here’s a link to a post on the No Depression website about a project that both Murphy and I participated in. Previously we’ve posted the videos (here and here and here and here) that Dyann Arthur filmed of both of us, but this nice little article has an overview of the whole project as well as some of the clips of the other women that she recorded.

Dyann Arthur and the MusicBox Project’s Americana Women

Casey Henry

Last week at the International Bluegrass Music Association conference our favorite clawhammer banjo instructor Lynn Morris received a Distinguished Achievement Award from the organization in recognition for her illustrious career in the bluegrass music business. From her early days in the City Limits Bluegrass Band through Whetstone Run and her own Lynn Morris Band, Lynn has always striven for perfection. That dedication paid off when she was the first woman to win the National Banjo Championship at Winfield, Kansas, and again a few years later when she was the first person ever to take the title twice. She was named IBMA Female Vocalist of the Year three times and her band put out five superlative albums. She was at the height of her career when she suffered a stroke, which robbed her of her ability to speak and play. Since then she has worked tirelessly, with tremendous strength and determination, to recover what she lost. She has regained so much ground; we are so proud of her. Currently Lynn works as the sound engineer on the road with Bill Emerson and Sweet Dixie.

This video is of most of her acceptance speech at the Special Awards Ceremony at IBMA on September 30, 2010. I missed the first bit. (Sorry!)

Casey Henry

Last year, Murphy listed the women who made it onto the second IBMA awards ballot in the instrumental performers category. There were eighteen, in contrast to a decade ago, when there were only five. Since I just filled out this year’s ballot (and since she’s busy working on her book and probably hasn’t even looked at her ballot yet), let’s take a look at who made the cut this year.

For Banjo Player of the Year

Kristin Scott Benson
Alison Brown
Cia Cherryholmes

For Bass Player of the Year

Missy Raines
Christy Reid

For Fiddle Player of the Year

Becky Buller
Molly Cherryholmes
Shelby Gold
Alison Krauss

(Same four people as last year, interestingly enough)

For Mandolin Player of the Year

Brooke Aldridge
Analise Gold
Sierra Hull

Twelve people, which pretty much splits the difference between last year and a decade ago. You’ll notice that no guitar players or dobro players made it at all. New entries this year are Brooke Aldridge, who plays with her husband Darin, and Christy Reid, who plays with her husband Lou in his band, Lou Reid and Carolina. Congratulation to these gals, who are getting out, playing in front of people, and really making an impression.

And since we’re talking about instrumental performers, here are the bands that include women who made it into the Instrumental Group of the Year category: Darin and Brooke Aldridge, Cherryholmes, the Grascals, Lorraine Johnson and Carolina Road, the Claire Lynch Band, and Rhonda Vincent and the Rage. Not a bad turn out!

The group I play with, The Dixie Bee-Liners, actually made it onto the ballot in a couple of categories: Vocal Group of the Year, and Emerging Artist of the Year. Go us!

Casey Henry

There is an article in the most recent issue of Banjo Newsletter titled “Young Guns of Bluegrass.” It profiles six banjo players between the ages of 16 and 22 — all boys — who are all playing with touring bands, and in most cases, have been for at least a couple of years. The introduction to the article does state that they didn’t include Cia Cherryholmes because she has recently been profiled in BNL, but at 26 she’s a little older than this group anyway, though she started playing at about the same time. As I looked at their pictures and read their profiles (they play with bands including Barry Scott and Second Wind, Kenny and Amanda Smith, Carrie Hassler and Hard Rain, and Michael Cleveland and Flamekeeper) I thought, “where are the up and coming girls?”

Let me say right off that I in NO WAY intend to take anything away from these guys. They’re all great players and deserve the recognition, and will no doubt keep the banjo flame burning long into the future. But I wondered, since Kristin Scott Benson has now won Banjo Player of the Year twice and plays with one of the top bands in bluegrass, where are the girls coming up in the following generation?

Are the girls really not there? Or (as Murphy is finding out as she works on her history of women in bluegrass) are they there and people just don’t notice them, don’t recognize them? Do our cultural constraints make it harder for girls to become “young guns” with all the aggression, assertiveness, mastery, self-confidence, and even violence that that implies? Would these bands, who seem to have no problem taking teenaged boys on the road with them consider taking a girl of the same age? Are the girls, as is so often the case, playing with family bands and thus discounted or ignored? Or are the girls taking a more cautious approach and going to college before looking for a job with a touring band? Kristin was in college the whole time she was playing with Larry Stephenson and managed both quite nicely.

I now know what I’m going to pay attention to, maybe even do interviews for an article, while I’m on the road this summer: female banjo players, from the ages of 16 to 22, in bands who are out there playing, on stage, for money. I can’t wait to see what I find. If y’all know any names, feel free to throw them out.

Murphy Henry

I am always proud when I get an email like the one below, telling me about Murphy Method students getting out there and playing! With Barbara’s permission, I will share:

I remember when I met Murphy at banjo camp and she asked me what I wanted to do with my banjo and I told her that pretty much just wanted to play for my grandkids. Now, several years later, I do play with my grandkids in our little “Granny and her GANGsters” bluegrass band. We play on the street together and have been playing at some community events.

The kids are loving it. It is especially good for the oldest one who is 13 and has Tourette’s. He is on the bass and I am amazed at what he can do. I just ordered Murphy’s two first bass DVDs for him and I told him when he gets through them I’ll get him the slap bass DVD. We have an 11 year old on the mandolin and he has worked up three breaks, “Boil Them Cabbage Down,” “It Takes a Worried Man,” and “Will the Circle Be Unbroken.” Oh, also “Amazing Grace.” Then our littlest one is a 10 year old granddaughter who plays two breaks on her banjo and clogs up a storm. Folks always throw money in the case when she starts dancing when we busk!

In October we are going to play at the opening of a corn maze in town and it will be our first microphone experience. Wish us luck! I bet there are a lot of other women who are using their banjos in interesting ways, too. I’d like to hear about them. Not that you professionals aren’t interesting! Thanks for listening.

Barbara

And as an added bonus, I will tell you that Robyn, one of my Fiddle Sisters (also known as Logan’s mom), and I went hiking on the Appalachian Trail this past Saturday. Since I am just beginning to build up endurance, we only hiked one hour in and then one hour back out. I started limiting my exertions after experiencing digestive malfunctions on several hikes that were too long (three hours), too hot (high 80s and humid), and too dry (only two bottles of water).

Saturday’s hike was a three-bottle hike and was definitely not too dry since we walked most of the way back IN THE POURING RAIN. I amused Robyn toward the end by singing bluegrass rain songs in full voice: “It’s Raining, Raining, Raining Here This Morning,” “Listening To The Rain,” “Little Cabin Home On The Hill” (with the line just listen to the rain beat on my window pane), and the decidedly non-bluegrass “Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head” by which time we were at the car. Soaking wet. And yes, we had rain ponchos in our backpacks, but by the time we decided it was really raining hard, we were already wet, so why bother? We were a little chilly, however, but a quick trip to Starbucks fixed that! Soon after, I was back home, showered, pajama’d (can pajama be used as a verb?), and curled up with my new 800-page Diana Gabaldon novel An Echo In The Bone, anxious to find out what’s been happening to Claire and Jamie Fraser. In fact, that’s where I’m heading right now…

Digression about IBMA: That would be the International Bluegrass Music Association for you newbies. The IBMA is a professional trade organization for bluegrass musicians and bluegrass business people (event producers, merchandisers, record labels, songwriters, etc.). Each year the IBMA recognizes those musicians who have done outstanding work in the bluegrass music field with awards in twelve categories.

Anyhow, in years past I have ranted about the lack of female presence on these ballots, especially in the Instrumental Performers category.

Digression about how you get on the first ballot: The first ballot is completely open; any member can nominate anyone they choose. So I had no one to blame about lack of female presence except the whole membership! The most I could do was to quote Abigail Adams and say, “Remember the women!” Which I did regularly in my Women in Bluegrass newsletter.

This year I am happy to say that things are much improved. So much improved that I am going to tell you the names of all the women who made this second-ballot, long-list of candidates for nomination on the various instruments. (You’re not a true nominee until the next ballot, on which the five final names will appear.) I am so proud of all of these wonderful, talented, hard-working women! There are EIGHTEEN in all!

IBMA Candidates for Nomination…

For Banjo Player of the Year

Kristin Scott Benson
Alison Brown
Cia Cherryholmes
Donica Christensen
Beth Stevens

For Bass Player of the Year

Beth Lawrence
Missy Raines

For Fiddle Player of the Year

Becky Buller
Molly Cherryholmes
Shelby Hope Gold
Alison Krauss

For Dobro Player of the Year

Sally Van Meter (what would we do without Sally Van?)

For Guitar Player of the Year

Dale Ann Bradley
Rebecca Frazier

For Mandolin Player of the Year

Analise Victoria Gold
Sierra Hull
Lorriane Jordan
Rhonda Vincent

For contrast, in 1999 there were only FIVE women, total, nominated for Instrumental Awards on the second ballot: Kristin Scott [Benson], Alison Krauss, Laurie Lewis, Missy Raines, and Sally Van Meter.

And I wish I’d kept my second ballots from earlier years, when I suspect there were even fewer women nominated, but, frankly, I never thought I’d need them. But now I find I’m wrong. I didn’t realize I’d turn out to be such a raging feminist! I thought I was making a enough of a statement simply by playing the banjo and writing songs like “I Ain’t Domesticated Yet.” Silly me!

So, again congratulations to all these women who are out there hitting the road hard. You go!