About Us
The "Bluegrass All-Star Jam" was started in 2006 in Bristol, Tennessee - the birthplace of country music-at an event at the Paramount Center for the Arts.
Held less than a block from where Ralph Peer
recorded Jimmie Rodgers, the Carter Family and the Stonemans in 1927, the
initial show lived up to its name by bringing together some of the best pickers
and singers in bluegrass music.
The concept was loosely based on "Knee Deep in Bluegrass-The Acutab Sessions", held a few years before on the same stage. That series of events featured artists performing songs from a recording project of the same name. Incidently, this recording project won the International Bluegrass Association's 2001 Recorded Event of the Year award.
By contrast, the All-Star Jam is exactly what the name implies - a gathering of some of the genre's most talented pickers who bring two songs apiece to the show and proceed to wear each other out.
The lightning of success from the Acutab shows struck again in Bristol. The 21-artist lineup of the 2006 All-Star Jam included Mike Bub, Jason Carter, Rob Ickes, Phill Leadbetter, Jim Mills, and Adam Steffey. At that time, the group owned a combined 27 IBMA instrumentalist awards, including four of that year's honorees.
To see the entire 2006 All-Star Jam lineup, click here.
Grammy Award-winning guitarist and songwriter, Tim Stafford (Blue Highway, Union Station) also played and served as music coordinator. When it was over, talk turned to returning next year and the possibility of taking the show on the road.
An artistic and financial success out of the box, the event returned to the Paramount in 2007 with about 75 percent of the original lineup intact. With Stafford on tour, Grammy Award winner Mike Bub stepped up as music director and welcomed newcomers Barry Bales, Kenny & Amanda Smith, Paul Williams, and David Grier to the stage.
A total of 18 top-flight artists played at the second event.
Click here to see the entire 2007 lineup.
Word
spread and attendance rose. When they turned out the lights and headed for
the backstage door, everyone knew they had a hit on their hands.
Crowds continued to flock to the Paramount for the 2008 edition of the All-Star Jam. And, why not?
The lineup shifted somewhat to allow some other artists to participate and others to make band commitments. Music coordinator Mike Bub had three-year veterans Phil Leadbetter, David Talbott, and Tim Laughlin to blend with the likes of Adam Steffey, Alecia Nugent, Dale Ann Bradley, and Missy Raines.
Click here for 2008 artist information and setlists.
In 2009, organizers found a new home in Bristol and finally hit the road. In addition to a stellar show in the Virginia Intermont College auditorium, jam sessions at Raleigh, NC, Kutztown, PA, and Stillwater, OK attracted great lineups and enthusiastic crowds.
Cindy Baucom, host of the nationally syndicated radio show "Knee-Deep in Bluegrass", served as emcee and Mike Bub returned as music director. This time around, Bristol lineup included the likes of Michael Cleveland, Tim Stafford, and Mike Compton.
Click here to see all of the artists who participated in all of the 2009 All-Star Jams.
Schedule: Click here to see the 2010 schedule.
Contact: Click here for contact information or to view an electronic presskit.
Questions: Please email bluegrassallstarjam@yahoo.com
Note: Each show's artists may vary due to the artist's bands schedules or other circumstances beyond the promoter's control. Please check with the venue or check back often to this website for the actual lineup.
########