Held at the IBMA World of BluegrassⓇ Business Conference in Raleigh, North Carolina on Thursday, September 26, and Friday, September 27, 2024 and online virtually, this two-day symposium will celebrate the Black stringband traditions of the Piedmont region and beyond in recognition of the last World of Bluegrass taking place in Raleigh, North Carolina. All of the sessions are presented by the Banjo Gathering and IBMA, with financial support from our sponsors including Elderly Instruments and the IBMA Foundation, with in-kind support from IBMA World of BluegrassⓇ. Read the press release here.

Building on Joe’s research guide at the Library of Congress, this panel will explore how Black bluegrass and folk musicians use source and archival recordings to bridge the gap in person-to-person transmission of music between Black musicians who were recorded in the 20th century and musicians today. Musicians and scholars will play some tunes and discuss their research methods and limitations.