Tag: Top 50

BGS Top 50 Moments: SXSW Brooklyn Country Cantina

Posted on by Shelby Williamson

It was a collaboration that quickly became one of our favorite events of the year (and definitely the best part of every marathon SXSW week): The Brooklyn Country Cantina was held for five years at Licha’s Cantina in East Austin in partnership with BGS. Featuring an ever-evolving rotation of talent, it was a launch pad for so many artists in the BGS fam, and a special laid-back underplay for those buzzworthy artists wrapping up a crazy week.

Instead of being another schmoozy networking event at SXSW, the BCC was always a reprieve away from the chaotic cacophony of downtown Austin or Congress Street — an all-ages affair where artists and fans alike got to see their friends, take a breather, and eat some really good tacos.

Below, rediscover some of our favorite moments from the Brooklyn Country Cantina, as captured by BGS photographers:

 

BGS Top 50 Moments: A Tribute to Jerry Garcia

Posted on by Amy Reitnouer

 

If my words did glow with the gold of sunshine
And my tunes were played on the harp unstrung
Would you hear my voice come through the music?
Would you hold it near as it were your own?

On a warm spring evening in Los Angeles, a revered mix of musicians gathered to lift up the legacy of Jerry Garcia and “to hold the music near as it were their own.”  JUBILEE: A Celebration of Jerry Garcia was a very special, one night only benefit concert paying tribute to his 75th birthday, produced by BGS, Goldenvoice, and the Garcia Family.

With an all-star lineup that included the likes of Hiss Golden Messenger, Billy Strings, Molly Tuttle, Margo Price, Stephen Malkmus, Chris Funk, Sam Bush, David Hidalgo (Los Lobos), Jamie Drake, Josh Ritter, and Amos Lee, supported by a house band lead by Benmont Tench and Mike Campbell (of Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers) and Sean and Sara Watkins (of Nickel Creek and Watkins Family Hour), the evening was a love letter to the man whose influence has continued to reach far beyond the confines of the Dead.

Relive some of the amazing collaborations in the photo gallery below:

Photo Credit: Elli Lauren

BGS Top 50 Moments – Lynn Morris: the National Banjo Champion Who Couldn’t Get an Audition

Posted on by Shelby Williamson

To honor the start of Women’s History Month, we want to refocus your attention to a profile you might have missed the first time around; that of a true bluegrass icon, Lynn Morris. A prolific banjo player and singer whose illustrious career has included multiple International Bluegrass Music Award wins for Best Female Vocalist and Song of the Year, and an induction into the Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame in 2021 (alongside Alison Krauss and The Stoneman Family). Lynn was also the first female IBMA Board Member, and continues to be a mentor and supporter of the music, even after health issues took her away from center stage.

What sets this profile apart from the thousands of other features we’ve published is that it had some of the highest engagement we’ve ever seen on the site. Even now, nearly twenty years after her retirement, Lynn’s legacy continues to ripple through our community in big ways.

Bluegrass and roots music is as much about learning from and appreciating that which has come before as it is discovering what’s ahead. And BGS will continue to be a place that highlights that history for generations of future musicians and fans.

To read more about Lynn Morris and countless other female leaders in the genre, check out Murphy Hicks Henry’s Pretty Good for a Girl: Women in Bluegrass.

Photo credit: Rounder Records