1ST Annual
Bluegrass Music
Art & Craft Festival
June 1st 2019 11:00 to 8:00
Vinoklet Winery & Restaurant
is located in Colerain off of Old Colerain Ave
Live Music - 4 Bluegrass Bands (info below)
Food Booths - Available for sale outside
Restaurant - Inside Restaurant by Reservation Grilled to Perfection [Grilled to Perfection Menu Detail Link]
Beer & Wine - Available at booths outside & inside
Art & Craft Vendors
Free Admission
Free Parking
Family Friendly
RV Parking okay [no hookups]
Sorry, no camping
Sorry, no pets please
Vinoklet Winery is very excited to start a new tradition with the introduction of the
First Annual Bluegrass Music Festival.
For now this is a
single day event but is sure to grow in the coming years as many of the other annual events held at the winery. You may know that the Winery has been around since the early 1980's, & the restaurant the early 1990's. Many people have come out to the Annual Art & Wine Festival over the past 21 years and show up year after year due to the comradery and friendly nature of the event.
*** The Music ***
Vernon McIntyr's Appalachian Grass
Wayne Haddix & the Haddix Family
Steve Scott & the Scott Brothers
Evan Lanier & Bluegrass Express
The First Annual Bluegrass Music Art & Wine Festival is sure to grow as the others have and we are very excited to kick off this new tradition this June with some amazing Bluegrass musicians (see below)
*** More About the Music ***
"... Vernon McIntyre’s Appalachian Grass is a driving, five piece bluegrass band established in Cincinnati, Ohio, during the 1960’s. Vernon’s years of playing both banjo and guitar with the greats of bluegrass have honed his skills as an entertainer and make him uniquely qualified to define the traditional bluegrass sound of the Appalachian Grass.
Vernon began his professional career at the age of 15 playing banjo with Earl Taylor and the Stoney Mountain Boys. He has since played with Walt Hensley, Jimmy Martin, Jim McCall, James Monroe, Mac Wiseman, and Scott Stoneman. Vernon was also a founding member of the Bluegrass Pardners of Wheeling Jamboree fame and his banjo work with the Easterners is well remembered. Through the years, Vernon has made several appearances on the Grand Ole Opry stage. He appeared playing banjo with both Earl Taylor and the Stoney Mountain Boys and with Jimmy Martin and the Sunny Mountain Boys. When Appalachian Grass was invited to perform at the Opry with Vernon as band leader, singer and guitarist, Vernon became one of the few who have been on that stage as a banjoist, a singer, and a guitarist.
Vernon has recorded many projects with Appalachian Grass that feature both his unique banjo style and his vocals and guitar work. Vernon’s matchless rhythm guitar is the bedrock for wife Kitty’s two fiddle instrumental recordings. During the 1970s, Vernon was a staff musician at Jewel Recording Studio and has contributed banjo and/or rhythm guitar tracks to innumerable recording sessions for entertainers such as Mac Wiseman, Jimmy Skinner, Charlie Moore, Rusty York, Lonnie Mack, Sid Campbell, JD Jarvis, Hylo Brown, and Bobby Grove.
Over the years, Vernon McIntyre’s Appalachian Grass has played concerts, festivals, fairs, colleges, radio, television, and exclusive nightclubs across the United States and Canada. In 1998, Appalachian Grass won the CAMMY award for Best Bluegrass Band in the Cincinnati – Tri-State Area. The band’s exploits even include the grand opening dedication of an historic cemetery! As emcee, lead singer, and rhythm guitar player, Vernon McIntyre infuses the band with the warmth and spontaneity of a small family gathering even when playing for thousands of fans. He combines bluegrass history and stories with showmanship and humor to deliver top notch entertainment.
Vernon’s wife, Kitty McIntyre, brings to the group some of the best bluegrass fiddling that you can hear. Audiences always enjoy her energetic performances as well as her trick fiddling act. Known for the quality of their singing, the group’s vocals are a blend of smooth and intricate harmonies that are a delight to hear. Hard-driving banjo by Robert Campbell, mandolin by Wayne Haddix, and upright bass by Tammy Powers round out the Appalachian Grass sound.
With Vernon McIntyre’s Appalachian Grass on stage you’re sure to get old-fashioned entertainment at its best! It’s been several years since Appalachian Grass has performed at the Fold. Come on out and help us give them a warm welcome back. For more information on Vernon McIntyre and Appalachian Grass, go to their web site https://www.fotmc.com/..."
Robert Campbell was born in Cincinnati, OH, grew up right outside of Sharonville, OH. Started
playing guitar at age 13 and banjo at age 16. Both of his parents are of Appalachian descent both having musical talents going back for many generations in Kentucky, Virginia, and Tennessee. His maternal grandfather and grandmother recorded a few gospel songs at Jimmy Skinner’s recording studio years ago. His great-great grandfather, JD Campbell was a banjo player and so was his great grandmother, Hannah Elizabeth Kelly. And contrary to popular belief he comes from a family of 15 children not 22.
Robert’s first organized musical performances were in junior high at Princeton when he played electric guitar with the jazz stage band. Robert has played with many bluegrass bands since the late 80’s but has spent the majority of his professional career with Vernon McIntyre’s Appalachian Grass. He has recently added harmony vocals to his list of contributions to the Appalachian Grass sound.
Tammy Powers was born in Hamilton, Ohio,
grew up in Fairfield, Ohio and resides there today. She went to her first bluegrass festival in 1996 and has been hooked ever since. Having some musical background she learned how to play electric bass and then moved on to an upright.
For the last few years she has played with many local musicians mainly just for the shear joy of playing. She joined the Appalachian Grass playing bass in February of 2003 and has been there ever since.
Tammy also has a masters in Art Education and recently retired from the Lakota Local School District.
Susan Shook was born and raised in rural Chesterton , Indiana (3 miles from the sandy, hilly dunes of Lake Michigan) and now resides in equally hilly northern Kentucky. She grew up surrounded by 7 musical siblings and all sorts of instruments (piano, clarinet, oboe, saxophones, French horn, trombone, trumpet, and a tuba/sousaphone — proudly played by her twin brother). She was also exposed to all sorts of musical genres from classical to folk to pop. While Susan periodically would hear bluegrass bands at festivals as a kid, she never really correlated the name to the specific qualities and history of this music until starting mandolin lessons on a whim (while her daughter took banjo) in her mid-forties. At that point, she became fully entranced by bluegrass music’s inescapable toe-tapping rhythm and drive, tight vocal harmonies, melodic and often speed-defying instrumental passages, and how an entire group of pickers builds from and coordinates with other musicians – and their crowd of listeners. As the saying goes, “She’s hooked.”
By day, Susan works for a local well-known consumer products company, providing legal guidance in a variety of areas and subtly trying to influence others to enjoy bluegrass in their free time – as an audience member, or preferably, as a picker!
Jenny Lee was born in Ft. Thomas, KY and has
lived in Northern Kentucky for most of her life. She was surrounded by all kinds of music growing up, but it wasn’t until seeing a KET special on Bill Monroe that she wanted to explore bluegrass. She learned to read music at age 9, studied Irish folk music in Ireland, and eventually returned to learn classical guitar and bluegrass guitar. Jenny has been involved with music in some form since she was a child and is currently learning the mandolin. Her musical heroes are the Osborne Brothers, Ella Fitzgerald, Otis Redding, Paul Williams, Jimmy Martin, Ronnie McCoury, Tony Rice, and The Country Gentlemen.
Jenny performed on the Appalachian Opry in Wapakoneta, OH for many years, singing as well as participating in improvised comedy skits. She joined the Appalachian Grass in 2018 and is currently working on recording her first CD. When not playing music, she’s busy working in the Accounting department of a large Cincinnati law firm.
Wayne Haddix & the Haddix Family
The Haddix Family has been singing for over 3 generations now. The group currently consists of Wayne Haddix (Father), Eric Haddix (Son), and Jessica Haddix-Hubbard (Daughter). For many years the family has traveled performing old-time bluegrass gospel. In 2004 Jessica graduated from high school and the group embarked on a new journey. We released the debut album "Thank God for the Blood" which was widely accepted with great response. They have opened for favorites such as Ricky Skaggs, Marty Raybon, and the Isaacs! In 2005 the family attended Inspirational Country Week, where they placed 1st in a talent competition. This allowed the family to start the new cd "Into the Light". It will be focused on country Christian with a touch of bluegrass. They are truly blessed to play many genres of music and their harmony is amazing. The goal is to reach as many lost souls as possible and we wont stop until the calling is over. We were recently nominated in the Top five for Trio of the year at the CCMA awards in Nashville Tennesee. Powersource magazine also profiled us on the cover as a top band to watch in 2007! Last year was a tough year for the music. We pretty much took the year off between Jessica getting married and Eric building his house. So I guess we have some work to do and we need your help to do it. More About The Haddix Family
Steve Scott & the Scott Brothers
This family grew up surrounded by music, with the boys learning to play the banjo, mandolin, guitar, and upright bass at a young age. Steve Scott is the owner of the Bluegrass Opry Barn and occasionally can get the boys’ schedules aligned for a show and this local band is packed with talent.
Evan Lanier & Bluegrass Express
Our band loves to travel around and make people have a good time listening to good music.
More About Bluegrass Music Below Poster
Article May be Viewed in Its Original Form Below
A Brief History of Bluegrass Music
The people who migrated to America in the 1600s from Ireland, Scotland, and England brought with them the basic styles of music that are generally considered to be the roots of bluegrass music as it is known today. As the Jamestown settlers began to move out into North and South Carolina, Tennessee, Kentucky, Virginia, and West Virginia, they wrote songs about day-to-day life in the new land. Since most of these people lived in remote areas, the songs reflected life on the farm or in the hills. This music was referred to as country music or mountain music. The invention of the phonograph and the onset of radio in the early 1900s brought this music out of the mountains and into the homes of people all over the United States.
Bill Monroe’s Uncle Pen Vandiver
The Monroe Brothers were one of the most popular acts of the 1920s and 1930s. Charlie Monroe
played the guitar, Bill played the mandolin, and they sang in harmony. When the brothers split in 1938, both went on to form their own bands. Bill was a native of Kentucky, the Bluegrass State, and he eventually adopted the name “Bill Monroe and the Blue Grass Boys” for his band. This band started a new form of “traditional” country music.
Bill Monroe and his Blue Grass Boys first appeared on the Grand Ole Opry stage in 1939 and soon became one of the most popular touring bands to emerge from Nashville’s WSM studios. Bill’s band was different from other traditional country bands because of its hard-driving and powerful sound that used traditional acoustic instruments and featured distinctive vocal harmonies. The music incorporated songs and rhythms from string band, gospel (black and white), black laborer work song, country, and blues music repertoires. Vocal selections included duet, trio, and quartet harmony singing in addition to Bill’s powerful “high lonesome” solo lead singing. After experimenting with various instrumental combinations, Bill settled on mandolin, banjo, fiddle, guitar, and bass as the format for his band.
While many fans of bluegrass music date the genre to 1939, when Monroe formed his first Blue Grass Boys band, most believe that the classic bluegrass sound came together late in 1945, shortly after Earl Scruggs, a 21-year-old banjo player from North Carolina, joined the band. Scruggs played an innovative three-finger picking style on the banjo that energized enthusiastic audiences and has since come to be known as “Scruggs style” banjo. Equally influential in the classic 1945 line-up of the Blue Grass Boys were Lester Flatt, from Sparta, Tennessee, on guitar and lead vocals, Chubby Wise, from Florida, on fiddle; and Howard Watts, also known by his comedian name “Cedric Rainwater,” on acoustic bass.
Birth of Bluegrass sign by the Tennessee Historical Commission at the Ryman Auditorium
When Earl Scruggs and Lester Flatt formed their own group, The Foggy Mountain Boys, they decided to include the resophonic guitar, or “Dobro,” into their band format. The Dobro is often included in bluegrass band formats today as a result. Burkett H. “Uncle Josh” Graves, from Tellico Plains, Tennessee, heard Scruggs’ three-finger style of banjo picking in 1949 and adapted it to the then almost obscure slide bar instrument. With Flatt & Scruggs from 1955-1969, Graves introduced his widely emulated, driving, bluesy style on the Dobro. The Dobro was invented in the United States by the Dopyera Brothers, immigrant musicians/inventors originally from the Slovak Republic. The brand name, “Dobro,” comes from a combination of the first few letters of the words
“Dopyera Brothers.” From 1948-1969, the Flatt & Scruggs band was a major force in introducing bluegrass music to America through national television, radio, and appearances at schoolhouses, coliseums, and major universities around the country. Scruggs wrote and recorded one of bluegrass music’s most famous instrumentals, “Foggy Mountain Breakdown,” which was used in the soundtrack for the film Bonnie & Clyde. In 1969 he established an innovative solo career with his three sons as “The Earl Scruggs Revue.” Scruggs recorded and performed in groups that usually included his sons Randy (on guitar) and Gary (on bass) until his death in 2012. After parting with Scruggs in 1969, Lester Flatt continued successfully with his own group, “The Nashville Grass,” performing until shortly before his death in 1979. By the 1950s, people began referring to this style of music as “bluegrass music.” Bluegrass bands began forming all over the country and Bill Monroe became the acknowledged “Father of
Bluegrass Music.”
Bill Monroe’s restored childhood home on Jerusalem Ridge in Rosine, Kentucky
In the 1960s, the concept of the “bluegrass festival” was first introduced, featuring bands on the same bill that had previously seemed to be in competition with each other for a relatively limited audience. Carlton Haney, from Reidsville, North Carolina is credited with envisioning and producing the first weekend-long bluegrass music festival, which was held in Fincastle, Virginia in 1965.
The availability of traditional music broadcasting and recording, nationwide bluegrass festivals, and movie, television, and commercial soundtracks featuring bluegrass music have helped to bring the music out of obscurity. Lester Flatt, Earl Scruggs, and the Foggy Mountain Boys achieved national prominence with tour sponsorship by Martha White Flour and for playing the soundtrack for the previously mentioned film Bonnie and Clyde as well as through the Beverly Hillbillies television show.
The soundtrack to the movie Deliverance also featured bluegrass music, specifically Dueling Banjos, performed by Eric Weissberg on banjo and Steve Mandell on guitar. The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band’s Will the Circle Be Unbrokentriple LP set, released in 1972, introduced artists like Earl Scruggs, Doc Watson, Jimmy Martin, Maybelle Carter, Roy Acuff, and others to pop music fans and brought the authentic sounds of bluegrass and traditional country music to new audiences. In 2001, the triple-platinum soundtrack for the Coen Brothers movie, O Brother, Where Art Thou?, helped to attract even wider audiences to bluegrass music.
Bill Monroe passed away on September 9, 1996, four days before his 85th birthday. In May 1997, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame because of the profound influence of his style on popular music. He is also a member of the Country Music Hall of Fame and the Bluegrass Music Hall of Honor. A picture of Bill’s childhood home in Rosine, Kentucky, which has been restored and is open for touring, appears above. Bill’s uncle Pen, for whom he named a well-known bluegrass song, appears with a fiddle in the picture above right.
Bluegrass music is now performed and enjoyed around the world. The International Bluegrass Music Association claims members in all 50 states and 30 countries. In addition to the classic style born in 1945 that is still performed widely, bluegrass bands today reflect influences from a variety of sources including traditional and fusion jazz, contemporary country music, Celtic music, rock & roll (“newgrass” or progressive bluegrass), old-time music, and Southern gospel music.
Portions of this history are courtesy of International Bluegrass Music Association, the International Bluegrass Music Museum, and Alan W. Tompkins. More information can be obtained at Wikipedia.com.
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