Newgrass Returns Home To Louisville, Kentucky

Sam Bush and former members of New Grass Revival & The Bluegrass Alliance announce major concert event at the Galt House to benefit American Cancer Society

December 8, 2008 | Louisville, KY - Two of the world's most innovative and influential music bands return home to Louisville, Kentucky, the birthplace of the NEW GRASS REVIVAL and its predecessor THE BLUEGRASS ALLIANCE. These bands created and defined a new style called Newgrass, mixing traditional Bill Monroe-styled Bluegrass with a fusion of rock, blues and jazz. Led by SAM BUSH - the Father of Newgrass - the recordings, concerts and members of the New Grass Revival and The Bluegrass Alliance have become part of the folklore of the state, and major forces within the music industry. Without a doubt, these bands from Louisville changed the course of Bluegrass music forever.

A key component of the Bluegrass scene in the halcyon days of the 1970s was an old Victorian mansion in Cherokee Park near downtown Louisville. The infamous BLUEGRASS HOTEL, whose proprietor Harry Bickel and Harry Sparks - luthier of renown - made life more stable for its residents and super pickers that included Sam Bush, Dan Crary (The Bluegrass Alliance co-founder), Tony Rice, Vince Gill, John Cowan, Curtis Burch, J.D. Crowe, Danny Jones, Jerry Douglas, Ricky Skaggs, Glenn Lawson, Tony Williamson, Jack Lawrence, Al White and many others who were making their way though the treacherous waters of the music business. The Bluegrass Hotel represents an important chapter in music history, with a cast of characters that made Kentucky the center of the Bluegrass universe during the 1970s.

Sam Bush and former members of the New Grass Revival and The Bluegrass Alliance have launched a major project celebrating the Newgrass era in Kentucky, titled "THE BLUEGRASS HOTEL". The centerpiece of the project is a new film, accompanied by a DVD, CD and book, which will include reality-based storytelling and jam sessions filmed at the legendary Bluegrass Hotel this December, archival performances of the bands in the 1970s, and a March 6, 2009 concert at the Galt House Hotel in Louisville featuring Sam Bush, former members of the New Grass Revival, The Bluegrass Alliance and special guest stars.

On December 13 at 12PM, Sam Bush, Dan Crary, Tony Rice, Curtis Burch, J.D. Crowe, Danny Jones and Bluegrass Hotel proprietors Harry & Ann Bickel will join Louisville Mayor Jerry E. Abramson, Galt House Executive Director of Sales Lisa Haller, and American Cancer Society Associate Executive Director, Lorraina Aldridge at the Galt House to announce The Bluegrass Hotel Concert & Festival, scheduled for March 6, 2009.

"If it wasn't for The Bluegrass Hotel, I don't know how a lot of young Bluegrass musicians (like Vince Gill) could have moved to a different city to learn how to play music," said Sam Bush. "I'm pleased to be involved in a project that is focused on the Newgrass era and to perform at this concert back in Louisville, where all the proceeds will benefit the work of the American Cancer Society. I know that cancer is a disease that affects all of our families in one way or another, and this concert will help the Society's efforts to beat it," said Bush.

• Press Conference—Announcement of The Bluegrass Hotel Concert & Festival (March 6, 2009)
• Saturday, December 13, 2008 | 12PM (noon) EST
• Galt House Hotel | 140 N. Fourth Street, Louisville, KY 40202 | Venue - Jockey Silks Bourbon Bar
• www.myspace.com/thebluegrasshotel | GaltHouse.com | Cancer.org

For more info contact: Bill Millet, Producer 972.365.3303 | Keith LaBelle, Galt House 502.569.4475 Lorraina Aldridge, American Cancer Society 502.533.2511