New BA Board & Members elected 2/1/2020

Bluegrass Anonymous, Inc. is a non-profit grass-roots organization founded in October 2001 by a group of friends who wanted to preserve the traditions of bluegrass music, promote the music and support its musicians. Founders included Mike Bucayu, Chris Brandstatt, Mike Rengers, Susan Miller, Charlie Logsdon, Glen Hensley, Dina Hoskins, Michelle Skinner Bucayu, Jackson Cooper, Paul Colon and Sonya Cotton. The name was the brain-child of Mike Bucayu and Chris Brandstatt, who wanted to provide a 12-fret program to those who ar addicted to bluegrass music and needed a fix in the Kentuckiana region. In 2006 the organization became a 501c3 non-profit entity. In 2010, the organization unofficially began to use the title The Louisville Bluegrass Music Association along with its legal title to help identify the organization.

Thanks must be given to Art Menius, the Minnesota Bluegrass & Old-Time Music Association and the California Bluegrass Association for sharing their knowledge and strategy for organizing a bluegrass association.

With the help of Amy Bordogna the organization’s website was started in 2002 and she helped start the organization’s Yahoo group, BGAnon@YahooGroups.com., where the group exchanges information related to bluegrass music.

Board members have hosted open Bluegrass jams at various Louisville family-oriented venues over the years. Long-running jams included The Hideaway (Bardstown Road), The Lighthouse (Frankfort Avenue), the Do-Drop Inn and the Bluegrass Brewing Company (BBC) in St. Matthews.

In the early 2000’s B.A. and the Lighthouse (bar/grill) hosted several bluegrass shows including James King with Dayle Eskridge & Changing Times, Auldridge Bennett & Gaudreau, Inquire Within Band, Colonel Catastrophe and a Steve Kaufman workshop.

In 2002, B.A. worked with The BBC to host its Bluegrass at the Bluegrass Festival. Performers included Blue Hollow Band with Mike Cleveland, Old Louisville Express with Tony Myers, Corn Island Bluegrass Band, Inquire Within and Roundabout with Chris Brandstatt.

Also in 2002, B.A. hosted a Jam Tent at the Blue Sky Jamfest, an Americana music event held on the Great lawn on the Ohio River in Louisville. Four (4) stages hosted more than 30 bands including Sam Bush, Jerry Douglas, Richie Havens, John Cowan, Nashville Bluegrass Band, Juggernaut Jug Band, Donna the Buffalo, Los Lobos and more. The B.A. tent hosted jams and an open-stage throughout the event.

In 2005, Tonya Swan, Jefferson Memorial Forest (Fairdale, KY) wanted to produce a one-day Bluegrass festival at the Horine Center in the forest and she contacted B.A. for help. B.A. remains a primary promotor and vendor at the event, now working with current Forest Fest staffer, Rebecca Minnick, who puts the vent together.

In march 2006 B.A. was the primary sponsor of The Banks of the Ohio Bluegrass Festial (BOTO) at the Galt House in downtown Louisville. B.A.’s President at that time, Mike Bucayu, was a primary organizer of the event. BOTO was a weekend festival that included the bands Cherryholmes, J.D. Crowe & the New South, Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver, Mike Cleveland & Flamekeeper, Mountain Heart, Audie Blaylock & Red Line and Dale Ann Bradley. The event helped to fill the void that was left in Louisville when the IBMA’s World of Bluegrass event moved its conference to Nashville, TN.

Since 2008, B.A. has worked with George Garrett (Cincinnati, OH) to promote and support Itchin’ to Pick, a two-day jam event held each Spring at The Galt House (Louisville, KY). The event was a jam-only weekend event that was held until 2016. In its place, the Kentucky Fried Pickin’ End of Winter Jam replaced it. It began in the Spring of 2017 and is also a jam-only weekend event held at the Holiday Inn Riverfront in Owensboro, KY. B.A. has hosted a jam room at each of these events and provides bluegrass information to attendants.

In 2009, B.A. partnered with Clarksville Parks & Recreation (Indiana). In exchange for B.A. hosting a Band Scramble event in the Fall (October) at Lapping Park at Endris Lodge, during the park’s Fall Festival, B.A. is provided the Endris Lodge to host its annual member appreciation event, The Pig ‘n Pickin’ Roast in May. Both events are filled with jamming, food, fellowship and is open to the public. The October event is widely promoted in the park’s program guide and B.A. widely promotes both events in its quarterly newsletter, The Pickin’ Post, its BA YahooGroup and on its Facebook and Twitter sites.

In 2010, 2011 and 2012 B.A. joined with the Holiday Inn Hurstbourne (Louisville, KY) to host the Holiday Pick-Inn. On the Saturday following Thanksgiving a benefit was held at the hotel with proceeds benefitting The Home of the Innocents, Salvation Army and Center for Women & Families. At each event several bands volunteered their time and efforts to perform during the evening hours. The hotel offered discounted room rates to pickers and opened the lobby and pickin’ rooms for jams. Admission to the events were new toys or monetary donations and each event garnered truckloads of toys and sizable monetary donations to the donor organizations.

Since February 2002 B.A. has produced a quarterly newsletter, The Pickin’ Post. With it’s March/Spring issue, it had produced 65 newsletters, many posted on the B.A. website, Bluegrass-Anonymous.com. The newsletter editors have included Dennis Strope, Glen Hensley, Christine Walsh and currently B.A.’s Vice President, Robin Thixton. It has become a well respected periodical that is distributed free of charge at area businesses and mailed quarterly to B.A. members. In the Fall of each year the publication is widely distributed at the International Bleugrass Music Association’s World of Bluegrass Conference. The Pickin’ Post has been nominated for Newsletter of the Year several times at The Society for the Preservation of Bluegrass Music Association (SPBGMA) annual awards show.

The organization is present at regional Bluegrass shows, festivals and other events by setting up a table to distribute flyers and information about Bluegrass events and B.A. Since 2013 the association has put together volunteer musicians to perform at regional schools to educate students about bluegrass music, instruments, and the history of this unique Kentucky music genre. In January 2015, it became a partner with Kroger to obtain its Kroger Community Rewards Program, ID# 18963. B.A. receives a quarterly donation from Kroger via this program.

B.A. is proud to be a member of the IBMA (International Bluegrass Music Association; Nashville, TN.) and the IBMM (International Bluegrass Music Museum; Owensboro, KY). 

Revised 03/18