RockyGrass Bluegrass Festival is celebrating its 54th year of bringing bluegrass to the front range of Colorado, July 24-26. Its home since 1992 has been the charming mountain town of Lyons, Colorado, which is known as the “Double Gateway to the Rockies”. The festival, originally founded in 1972 as the Colorado Bluegrass Music Society Festival, was launched with the assistance of Bill Monroe, the father of bluegrass music. The bluegrass festival scene dates back to the 1960s and Bill Monroe had a big part in that. Bill opened his own campground in Bean Blossom, Indiana in 1952 where he hosted many bluegrass festivals. That campground still exists today and hosts several bluegrass festivals throughout the year.
RockyGrass would be held in several locations over its first 20 years. In 1992 Planet Bluegrass got involved, eventually purchasing the festival. That’s the year its home became Lyons, Colorado. Planet Bluegrass also hosts the Rocky Mountain Folks Festival on the same site. These festivals take place on historic property previously known as the Wildflower Pavilion. The site is also the headquarters for Planet Bluegrass, which hosts several educational programs throughout the year there. Planet Bluegrass has been producing the legendary Telluride Bluegrass Festival in Telluride Colorado since 1989, putting that festival on the world map and making it one of the most prestigious bluegrass festivals on the planet.
To say the Lyons location is scenic would be a big understatement. It is located on the scenic North St. Vrain River, which flows through the festival grounds allowing attendees the ability to soak and play in the river under sandstone cliffs while enjoying the Main Stage entertainment. The festival was created as a traditional bluegrass festival in the sense that there is only one main stage, making for a very intimate weekend of music. It hosts a band competition each year and the winner will perform at next year’s festival. RockyGrass also hosts a music academy each year. Attendance at the festival is around 4,500 and offers some scenic and majestic camping under cedars and pines along the river under sandstone cliffs, and sells out every year.
Headliners at this year‘s festival include the legendary Del McCoury Band, Sam Bush Bluegrass Band, Rhiannon Giddens & the Old-Time Revue, Tim O’Brien, I’m With Her, Della Mae, Punch Brothers, Steep Canyon Rangers, Willie Watson, Tony Trischka and many more. I am very excited to be scratching this festival off of my bucket list this year.
Another big highlight of this festival is its campground picking and jam sessions, which have become legendary over the years. It would not be uncommon to walk up to a campsite late nite and see one of the headliners picking amongst a circle of festival attendees. The late night picking, for myself, is one of my highlights of any bluegrass festival and I’m really looking forward to this one.
On this week’s edition of the Homespun Americana show I’ll be featuring artists who will be performing at this year’s festival. I invite you to tune in Sunday, July 19 from 2-4pm. I am excited to have been accepted as a media guest this year at the festival, which will allow me to bring you, the WWOZ listeners, an in depth review of the festival with photos when I return home. If any of our listeners plan on attending the festival this year, please keep your eyes out for a WWOZ flag flying in the campground or an old hippie running around with a WWOZ hat on. Hope to see you there or on the radio.
https://bluegrass.com/rockygrass
