2008 Williston Bluegrass Festival

June 13^th and 14^th

Williston, TN

At the Harrison Crawford Airport
 

30 miles east of Memphis, TN on Highway 76 in Williston TN

6 miles south of Somerville TN

7.5 miles north of Moscow, TN
 

Live Bluegrass Music Friday and Saturday

Stage Shows

Friday from 5:00 – 10:00

Saturday from 10:00 am – 10:00 pm

Adults $5, Children Under 12 Free
 

Shade Tree Pickin’

Fishing for the kids – bring your cane pole

BBQ and other Concessions available

Bring Your Lawn Chair and Instrument

The Williston Bluegrass Festival Is Sponsored By The Memphis Area Bluegrass Festival

Workshops

Mandolin workshop lead by John Gay
June 9th at the Lord of Life Lutheran Church at 12:30pm

*** This workshop will be rescheduled ***

John Gay will lead a mandolin workshop on June 9th at the Lord of Life Lutheran Church at 12:30pm.  The workshop will go until about 2pm to leave some time for pickin!  John has been playing the mandolin for close to 30 years.  He grew up around bluegrass and country music.  According to John, "The first bluegrass I remember hearing was the Dillards who performed on the Andy Griffin Show."  Jonh's Dad played the bass in a country/bluegrass/folk band and bought several Dillards records when he was young.  When John got interested in playing, he found Bill Monroe records and was hooked.  John was also fortunate to see Monroe play a number of times in Memphis and at various festivals in the late 70's and 80's.
 
John's biggest influences are Monroe, Mike Compton, Tim O'brien, Ronnie McCoury, David McGlaughlin (Johnson Mountain Boys), and Sam Bush.  He has attended several Monroe-style oriented workshops over the years with instructors including Mike Compton, Roland White, David Long, Red Henry, Chris Henry, and Skip Gorman.  John describes himself as a Monroe-style fan and attempts to play straight ahead, Monroe-style bluegrass mandolin.  I've also been playing in bands for the last 15 years or so.

Many of you who know John recognize that this is a fantastic opportunity to learn from one of MABA's best. Many thanks to John for being so willing to share his knowledge and lead this workshop.  It promises to be an event you won't want to miss.

Everything Else ......

Pictures of Goin' Home at ZooGrass at the Memphis Zoo
June 2007

Click here to see the photos.

Pictures of the Fleener's Potluck and Pickin' Porch
June 2007

Click here to see the photos.

Pictures of a Saturday Pickin' at the Galloway United Methodist Church,  May 2007

Click here to see the photos.

Pictures of MABA Bands at the Ruffin Theatre
May 2007

Click here to see the photos.

Pictures from Brent's Funeral Service

Here are pictures from the Brent's service.  He is well loved and will be missed.

Pictures from Dianna Ford

Click here to see the photos.

Fifth Annual BPAC Pickin' Picnic

Our fifth annual two-day spring festival celebrating the great traditions of bluegrass and paying tribute to our own Lucy Opry.  We had great weather and a great time.

Pictures from Rita Barnett.

Click here to see the photos.

Fourth Annual Gary Williams Memorial Dinner

The Fourth Annual Gary Williams Memorial Dinner took place February 24th at the Woodland Presbyterian Church. Some 300+ MABA members, families, and guests attended the potluck. 

Pictures courtesy of Bob & Rita Barnett

Click here to see the photos.

Trip to Mountain View Arkansas - March 2007

These are pictures from a trip to Mountain View Arkansas.  The MABA bands "Gone South" and "Stone County Connection" were featured at the festival.

Pictures courtesy of Bob & Rita Barnett, and Jack McDivitt.

Click here to see the photos.

1992 Tennessee Banjo Institute Group Photo

 Click here to see a larger version.

Betty Westmoreland's Calendar and Reviews

Betty Westmoreland keeps a list of regional festivals and periodically submits reviews of shows and CD's.

See her latest review:

Review of Concert by the Peter Rowan & Tony Rice Quartet at the Lucy Opry on May 5, 2007

Click here to see her page.

Brent-a-fit

The Memphis Bluegrass community came together to support Brent Davis.  It was a great night, most of the local bands played as well as Frank Ray and Cedar Hill. 

Click here to see the photos.

MABA Members with Bluegrass Stars

We're starting a new photo page that features pictures of MABA members with their favorite Bluegrass music stars.  If you've got that old picture of you standing next to Bill Monroe, scan it and email it to us (Webmaster). What exactly is a "Bluegrass music star"? I don't know for sure, but if you think they are then it counts.

Dr. Ralph Stanley and Claire Turner February 07

Click here to see the photos.

Riverfest 2006
October 2006

Pictures provided by Karen Hudson, Charles Mooney and Ed Griffith

Click here to see some more.