The association was set up in 1990 following a meeting of interested parties including festival organisers, gig and tour promoters, bands and other enthusiasts.  The foundation of the organisation was aimed at coordinating Bluegrass activity in the United Kingdom and making information about Bluegrass more widely available to the general public. Up until then, one had to be in the know to find out what was going on.

So, with the BBMA born, there was an immediate improvement in communications. The existing magazine “British Bluegrass News” became, by agreement with the editors, the association’s official publication.  The BBN is still published quarterly and plays a major role in distributing news and information to members.

The organisation is currently undergoing something of a re-structuring, the aim of which is to make it more relevant to those involved with the music. This could be as a fan of bluegrass or in a more active role as a tour or festival organiser or a performer.  In recent months, the core committee has been re-enforced by a team who carry out essential tasks for the good of the BBMA.  We now have area representatives covering most of the country.  Several people are working on the association magazine and more people are being recruited to cover new projects.

The website will evolve over the coming months and aims to provide general information about the activities of the association. We recommend you log onto the news pages regularly to get the latest developments.  Official association information is also published on a regular basis and this includes minutes of our AGM and summaries of committee meeting minutes.  Additionally, our area representative reports will be published in full on the website.

As you surf through the pages, you will find a whole rage of information about the British Bluegrass scene as well as general advice for people who wish to get involved a little deeper; maybe by starting a band, a club or even a festival.  Collectively, there is a lot of experience amongst the membership and this constitutes a valuable source of information.  It’s there to be used!

Finally, one question we have to answer frequently is “Why should I join the BBMA?”  This is a question that has many answers and, depending on your particular motivation, may call for a different approach.  But, at the basic level, if you support this music form and wish to see it develop in the UK, you should join and contribute to the general effort. By joining, you will be contributing to the association’s future and help fund some of the creative projects we have planned to promote the music. 

We are in the process of planning to introduce some more tangible and practical incentives for members and, to really grow these initiatives, we are launching a major recruitment drive.

Finally, you might be interested in getting more involved in some of the projects we wish to promote in the future.  If you are interested, please get in touch, this is not a closed shop for the privileged few, everybody is welcome to come and join the team.

In the meantime, enjoy the new website and if you have any observations or suggestions, please contact the association with your ideas.

John Wirtz
BBMA Chairman

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