Kentucky Historical Society
Kentucky Folklife Program to Host Concerts in Downtown Frankfort

Kentucky Folklife Program to Host Concerts in Downtown Frankfort

FRANKFORT, Ky. (Aug. 10, 2010)— Beat the summer blues with a little Kentucky music therapy in downtown Frankfort with the Voices of Kentucky Concert on Thursday, Aug. 26 and the Bill Monroe Centennial Kick-Off Concert on Thursday, Sept. 9. Sponsored by the Kentucky Folklife Program, an interagency program of the Kentucky Historical Society (KHS) and the Kentucky Arts Council, both concerts will take place from 7 to 9 p.m. in the Cralle-Day Garden, located behind the Thomas D. Clark Center for Kentucky History.

Hosted by bluegrass legend Don Rigsby, the Voices of Kentucky Concert will be comprised exclusively of human voices. Rigsby will demonstrate how family and community singing traditions shaped bluegrass music as the internationally celebrated Northern Kentucky Brotherhood Singers deliver their special blend of traditional a capella gospel mixed with modern doo-wop, and the Johnson Sisters, a trio from Laurel County, sing beautiful harmonies rooted in Appalachian music traditions. Guests will also be able to purchase traditionally prepared fish dinners by Wayne Riley, of Manchester, Ky.

An evening of bluegrass and barbecue, the Bill Monroe Centennial Kick-Off Concert will begin the commemoration of the bluegrass star just before what would have been his 99th birthday. The concert will feature Jim Smoak and Danny Jones, former members of Monroe’s band the Blue Grass Boys, and master bluegrass musicians Michael Cleveland, Steve Cooley and Larry Raley.  Thomas A. Adler, Ph.D. and bluegrass scholar, will interview the musicians between performances. Those interested should arrive early, at 6:30 p.m., to enjoy a multimedia presentation about the life of Bill Monroe by Adler. A barbecue vendor will also be on hand selling traditional fare.

Smoak played the banjo in the Blue Grass Boys during the early 1950s, when he was still in his teens. He later played with country artists Little Jimmy Dickens and Hylo Brown and the Timberliners, and released albums under his own name. Jones has been at the epicenter of the bluegrass music scene since the 1960s. He started out in the Grayson County Boys and then went on to play a mandolin in the Bluegrass Alliance. Jones later joined Monroe, Bluegrass Generation and the Goins Brothers.

Both concerts are free with KHS admission, which is $4 for adults, $2 for youth ages six to 18 and free for children five and under. For more information, contact Mark Brown at 502-564-1792 or Mark.Brown@ky.gov.

The KHS Foundation and the Grand Theatre are co-sponsoring another downtown Frankfort concert on Saturday, Oct. 2. Bluegrass music lovers will not want to miss the concert featuring Del McCoury, the guitarist and singer for Monroe’s Blue Grass Boys. McCoury’s sons, Ron, on the banjo and Rob, on the mandolin, will join their father for this high-energy show. The performance will begin at 7:30 p.m. at the Grand Theatre. Tickets are $50, $40 and $30 and can be purchased through the Grand Theatre’s website at www.grandtheatrefrankfort.org or by calling the Grand ticket office at 502-352-7469.

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The Kentucky Folklife Program identifies, documents, conserves and presents the Commonwealth's diverse cultural traditions through concerts, exhibits, narrative stages, archives, grant programs and classroom and community partnerships. It is an interagency program of the Kentucky Historical Society and the Kentucky Arts Council supported with state tax dollars and funding from the National Endowment for the Arts.