”It’s friendship, friendship, just the perfect friendship. When other friendships will be forgot, ours will still be hot.”–Writer unknown
It was nice to see so many bluegrass associations represented at the Great 48 last month. And to see the many fans and pickers attending. If you haven’t attended, think about going. It’s the closest thing happening out west that compares to the big World of Bluegrass back in Raleigh, NC held each October. I know the Great 48 is really a much smaller scale, but it’s great to see the cross section of bluegrass folks from all over the west that host jamming suites. Having lived in both Northern and Southern California, it’s a big warm fuzzy for me to see my friends from both ends of the state jamming together and forming friendships there.
While at the Great 48 last month, I also took note of the return of a bluegrass association I had been wondering about – that’s the Southern Nevada Bluegrass Music Society based out of Las Vegas. I also saw Bruce Burns, their treasurer, there who hosted the SNBMS jamming suite. He had their festival banner up and was proudly telling everyone that the Logandale festival was back and had happened in October 2015 and is happening in October 2016 again. That was good news. More on the festival at the end of column.
Here’s some history on how SNBMS came to be… Back on September 13, 1975 (and it just happened to also be Bill Monroe’s birthday) a select group of Las Vegas area bluegrass fans gathered to discuss the idea of forming a bluegrass club for area bluegrass fans. Bluegrass music was getting much publicity at the time with the popularity of “Hee Haw” on TV, and the music was gaining many fans. Las Vegas’ first bluegrass band “The Sunrise Mountain Boys” who consisted of Ernie Hawkins, Duane “Hoss” Saval, Ernie Cockrell and Curly Warburton. These boys were the starting engine for kickstarting this bluegrass club’s first meeting. And as word spread about the impending meeting, 30+ folks showed up on that September day. From this first meeting the Southern Nevada Bluegrass Music Society was born.
Club officers were chosen and they began meeting in various local venues in order to publicize that SNBS was sponsoring once a month jams on specific Saturdays. These jams were dubbed “Pick Outs” and usually held at locations such as Shakey’s Pizza, the Fireside Inn, Las Vegas Racquet Club, Mt. Charleston at their Foxtail Campground and the overflow parking lots for Lee Canyon Ski area, just to name a few. Larry Tieman was their first president, and other presidents that followed were Curly Warburton, J.S. Brandt, Don Lanning, Jr., Marty Warburton, Don Lanning, Sr., Pete Newton, Fred Smith and the well-known Mr. Al Bess.
Al Bess was a great friend to many, many bluegrass folks. I first met Al Bess through my son Mike Jr. Mike Jr. was playing fiddle with Ron Spears & Within Tradition and Lost Highway during that those years and played the Logandale Festival quite a few times. That’s where he first met Al. Al & Mike hit it off and became friends. And it was at the Blythe festival one year where Mike was playing with Lost Highway when he introduced me to Al. I had seen Al many times in those late night jams, admiring his expertise on that great old blonde bass he had. As a bass player, he captured my interest right away with his smooth playing and attention to detail in his note selection. He was a real craftsman on that upright. He was understated, but right in the groove. And his singing wasn’t too bad either. Over the years, I had many good chats with Al at various festivals, etc., and he was such an insightful guy with a wonderful quick wit. I happened to be at the last festival Al attended last year at Lake Havasu. He left a big ol’ hole in the bluegrass world when he left us shortly after that. You left a fine imprint on many a bluegrass fan, Mr. Al Bess. You are missed. And thank you for all your efforts to further bluegrass music.
Regarding the Logandale Festival, after a short hiatus, is back. This festival was initially the effort of past president Pete Newton and was a Southwest favorite for almost 30 years. Many wonderful volunteers worked tirelessly to make this festival happen for years, including Al Bess as the promoter. Please visit www.LogandaleFallFestival.com for more information about their 2016 event happening October 23rd & 24th.
Southern Nevada Bluegrass Music Society has stayed the course, and held together through thick and thin. Marty Warburton commented on this thriving organization, “The SNBMS was so much more than a music club. It served to bring many, many people together who otherwise would have never crossed paths or found a shared love of bluegrass as easily as it can be done today through social media. Lifetime friendships that endure to this day were formed on that day in 1975. That dynamic has continued over the last 40 years as people continue to be brought together and become a part of the SNBMS family. Congratulations on 40 years!” I agree, Marty! Best of luck to the Southern Nevada Bluegrass Music Society for 40 more years of getting bluegrass music to many more fans. Kudos, SNBMS!
