Ken White has a theory about people and their connection to bluegrass music, even if they don’t know they have a connection to bluegrass music.
“I like to say, ‘Everybody loves bluegrass, but not everybody knows that they do,'” says White, executive director of the International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA).
It’s that unknown love of bluegrass — plus those who have a longstanding appreciation for it — that White is convinced will draw a huge crowd to the upcoming Bluegrass Live! festival, set for September 19-20 in Chattanooga. It marks the first time in 12 years that the festival hasn’t been held in Raleigh, North Carolina.
“When we decided to make the move, we visited lots of cities, and the thing that stood out to me about Chattanooga: Not only was it beautiful, and not only did it have perfect facilities for us, but everybody that we met on those visits was excited about bluegrass and excited to have us. And it just seemed like a perfect fit,” White says.