Bluegrass Jamboree With BBQ
Cape festival delivers pure Americana, scheduled for Jan. 28
Bluegrass music has found a footing in one of Florida’s fastest-growing communities. Plan for the second annual Cape Coral Historical Society Bluegrass Jamboree with BBQ―an afternoon of Americana music and food. The Jan. 28 event starting at noon will feature Capt. Joe and the Bottom Feeders (Naples), Swinging Bridge, Bluegrass Gals, the master of ceremonies and music scholar Dick Spottswood of the Dick Spottswood Show and founder of Bluegrass Unlimited, a magazine started in 1966. Event proceeds benefit the Cape Coral Historical Society. Bluegrass dates to the 19th century surge of English-IrishScots to the remote Appalachians; the music a blending of country, gospel and Americana, the high-energy pace focusing on harmony and strong instrumentation. The music emerged with radio but became mainstream with performers such as the Monroe Brothers in the 1920s. Bill Monroe and his “Blue Grass Boys” later appeared on the Grand Ole Opry stage in Nashville in 1939. Modern bluegrass festivals were common in the 1960s, mostly in the Appalachians. Cape Coral’s first bluegrass jamboree last year was an immediate hit with visitors, says Wayne Kirkwood, the event’s organizer. “In all the years, we’ve had jazz and any kind of concert you can imagine, but we’ve never had bluegrass in Cape Coral,” he says. “We discovered there was an incredible amount of interest, so we launched this and hope to make it an annual end-of-January fundraiser for the museum.” Details are at 239-772-7037, capecoralmuseum.org.