Next GOBMS Show |Calendar |Board of Directors |Favorite Bands and Websites | ||
Flash News! See the Chairman’s letter regarding the future of GOBMS. GOBMS will be hosting shows at the American Banjo Museum occasionally. Check back here and on theNext Show page for updated information. | GOBMS Farewell Since 1977, the Greater Oklahoma Bluegrass Music Society has existed to preserve and promote the tradition of Bluegrass Music in Oklahoma. Through the efforts of the founding members, countless fans, and a huge variety of bands, Bluegrass is still alive and well in Oklahoma today! Over the past forty plus years, the world has undergone historic changes, trying economic times, and technological advancements beyond our wildest dreams. Through it all, during good times and bad times, the GOBMS has been there to carry the torch of bluegrass. Bluegrass family, we have reached a point in the life of the GOBMS where it is no longer feasible to operate as we have for so many years. Most of our long-time members are no longer with us. While we do occasionally welcome new faces to our family, the overall trend in attendance and financial resources has been a gradual decline. We enjoyed some wonderful music from some great bands. Yet, as has been said many times, a lot of people have missed some great shows. Therefore, the Board has made the decision to close the GOBMS. Our April 8, 2023 show was our final show. The organization itself will be kept in existence for a time, but no Bluegrass Concerts & Jams are going to be scheduled. Does this mean the end of Bluegrass in Oklahoma? No, not at all. When the GOBMS was founded and for many years after, there were several bluegrass festivals around the state of Oklahoma. Today, many of those festivals are gone, but a few outstanding festivals remain. And of course, there are pickers in almost every region of the state. The music lives on! On behalf of the Board of the GOBMS, to all those fine people who have stuck with us for many years, offering your support, ideas, and love of Bluegrass – THANK YOU! To the many bluegrass bands around Oklahoma and the region, thank you and keep pickin’! To the Patriot Event Center (formerly the Oklahoma Country & Western Music Museum and Hall of Fame), our home for many years – Thank You! While we will not be actively producing shows anymore, you can still find us on Facebook to enjoy pictures and videos from years of shows, plus notices of upcoming bluegrass activities. Thank you, Nathan Sanders, Chairman Chairman Greater Oklahoma Bluegrass Music Society |
GOBMS celebrates bringing you bluegrass music to the Central Oklahoma area since 1977. |
| Bill Monroe William Smith Monroe was born on September 13, 1911, on a farm in Jerusalem Ridge, just outside Rosine, Kentucky. His mother played accordion, fiddle, and harmonica, while his siblings played guitar and fiddle. After his father died when Bill was 16, he moved in with his uncle Pendleton Vandiver (later immortalized in the classic song "Uncle Pen"), who taught Bill to play guitar, mandolin, and fiddle. Perhaps because no one else in the family played it, Bill concentrated on mastering the mandolin. Bill joined with his brothers Charlie, who played guitar, and Birch, who played fiddle, to play on radio broadcasts. By 1930, the Monroe brothers had found success with "Kentucky Waltz," "Footprints in the Snow," and "Blue Grass Ramble." In the 1940s, Bill formed a new group called "Bill Monroe and the Bluegrass Boys" (the bluegrass came from his home state of Kentucky). That started a new musical genre that has spread worldwide. | |
For information about GOBMS, contactRonna Monse at (405) 317-2618 or (405) 226-9191 or via e-mail atrbass1151@gmail.com | ||
For any correctionsto this page please e-mail to theGOBMS Web-Master | ||
