January is a month to get inspired by the women featured in the Blue Ridge Music Center's new online interview series for A Place in the Band: Women in Bluegrass & American Roots Music. The 10-part series explores the triumphs and struggles of prominent women with careers in the music industry.
In the recorded conversations, North Carolina singer-songwriter and social justice activist Laurelyn Dossett speaks with musicians and additional music industry leaders about their role models, mentors, and inspirations; issues they’ve encountered in the industry; changes they’ve seen over the years; and their own personal journeys to become who they are today.
The interviews released so far feature:
Grammy-winner Rhiannon Giddens
IBMA award winner Missy Raines
N.C. Folk Festival President, CEO, and Director Amy Grossmann
Singer-songwriter Alice Gerrard
Roots music artist Amythyst Kiah
West Coast bluegrass artist Laurie Lewis
Artist publicist and manager Traci Thomas
You’re invited to learn how their individual stories show us the collective strength and future possibilities for women in bluegrass and American roots music.
Additional recordings with Kristin Scott Benson, Haley Miller Coots, and Ruth Ungar Merenda will be released at 2 p.m., Tuesday, January 26, on the Blue Ridge Music Center YouTube channel.
A Place in the Band began in 2020 to honor the 100th anniversary of the 19th amendment to the Constitution granting women the right to vote and is supported by the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation, the Blue Ridge Parkway/National Park Service, National Endowment for the Arts, National Park Foundation, and The Bluegrass Situation.