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Sales of Star-Studded 2007 MerleFest Jams Benefit Bluegrass Trust Fund

Ask people about their favorite MerleFest experience and often they will engage in a breathless account of a jam session that featured favorite artists in collaboration. These jams remain a signature of the MerleFest experience that began during the first festival in 1988. Recently, fans have been able to relive those moments via the digital download service offered by MerleFest partner FestivaLink.net.

MerleFest is excited to announce that the festival and artists participating in three star-studded jams have agreed to donate royalties from the sale of downloads and CDs of the jams to the Bluegrass Trust Fund that supports professional musicians in emergency need.

The MerleFest Kick-Off Jam, which took place on opening night of the festival, featured a tune by 14-year-old phenom Sierra Hull backed up by an all-star lineup, including 81-year-old Tut Taylor. This jam signifies the tradition MerleFest has of bringing legends together with up-and-coming stars of the music world.

Hosted by John Cowan, this jam also features Jeff Autry, Wayne Benson, Luke Bulla, Shad Cobb, Pat Flynn, Buddy Greene, the Lovell Sisters, John McEuen, Nick McMillen, Tara Nevins, Tony Wray, Toubab Krewe, Pete Wernick, Kristin Andreassen, Rayna Gellert, Sharon Gilchrist, KC Groves and Abby Washburn.

The New Generation Jam had a Saturday morning crowd energized with the hot, innovative younger players of the old-time scene performing new tunes as well as standards like “Cluck Old Hen,” “Old Joe Clark,” and “Molly Put the Kettle On.”

Hosted by The Duhks’ Leonard Podolak, this jam features nearly all of the members of bands Uncle Earl, Crooked Still, The Duhks and The Infamous Stringdusters.

Finally, the Homecoming Jam may have been one of the most memorable moments in MerleFest’s 20-year history as the members of New Grass Revival stepped forward from the larger group on stage for a one-song reunion, with Sam Bush, Bela Fleck, John Cowan and Pat Flynn performing “White Freightliner Blues.”

Listening to the set, the audience’s excitement can be heard when someone in the audience exclaims, “New Grass Revival’s on stage.” As the song starts, the audience becomes ecstatic, realizing they are witnessing the only New Grass Revival reunion since the band’s breakup in 1989.

Other performers in the Homecoming Jam include Doc Watson, Earl Scruggs, Ira Bernstein, Jerry Douglas, Jeff Hanna, Del McCoury, Rob and Ronnie McCoury, John McEuen, Peter Rowan, Pam Tillis, Bryan Sutton, Byron House, Jeff Little, Jack Lawrence, the Nashville Bluegrass Band, Tony Rice, David Holt, John Paul Jones, Buddy Greene and Bill Mathis.

These three unforgettable jams from MerleFest 2007 have been released as CDs and downloads available exclusively at www.festivalink.net. The first payments to the fund from proceeds from the MerleFest jams have just been made.

Since its establishment in 1987, the Bluegrass Trust Fund has raised more than $400,000 and has disbursed more than half of its deposits to bluegrass professionals and their families when other sources of financial help has failed them. The fund is often called on for medical emergencies, at times of death and natural disaster, or other hardships.

For more information on the Bluegrass Trust Fund, visit www.ibma.org.

MerleFest 2008, presented by Lowe’s, will be held on the campus of Wilkes Community College in Wilkesboro from April 24 to 27. For more information, click to www.merlefest.org or call 1-800-343-7857.