Pioneers of Bluegrass Exhibit

Pioneers of Bluegrass Exhibit
By Forrest Roberts

The Pioneers of Bluegrass Exhibit highlights over sixty first generation bluegrass musicians. Artists from across the country contributed artifacts and then gathered at ROMP 2009 to tour the exhibit, reminisce, renew old friendships and perform.

The exhibit includes historic and contemporary photographs ranging from the Original Blue River Boys and Tony Ellis with Reno and Smiley and the Tennessee Cutups in the 1940’s to more contemporary pictures of the Osborne Brothers, Jim and Jesse McReynolds and J.D. Crowe.

One section is devoted to instruments, including those owned by Curly Seckler, Ramona Jones, Pete Goble and others. Posters, performance clothes and album covers can also be viewed in the collection, along with more unique items, such as the first edition of Bluegrass Unlimited produced on a mimeograph machine; a piece of wood carved by Bill Monroe with the names of the Blue Grass Boys at the time; and some of Monroe’s smoking pipes, which presumably only had Prince Albert tobacco in them.

The Exhibit will continue on display until September of this year.