Greg Blake and David Morris at World of Bluegrass 2025 – photo © Joey Sue King
One of my favorite parts of the annual visit to IBMA’s World of Bluegrass is running across old friends that you only see once a year.
Even better is when you run across folks you haven’t seen in years. That was the case last week in Chattanooga, on multiple occasions.
My first surprise of the week came when I saw Blake Williams, a former member of the Blue Grass Boys, and his wife, publicist and manager Kimberly Williams. After a long absence, Kimberly was flying the flag for her clients, including fiddler Michael Cleveland. Her presence was a good luck charm, as Cleveland and Jason Carter took home three IBMA awards, including song of the year, collaborative recording, and album of the year.
Next, I caught up with Paul Williams, a 90-year-old Hall of Famer, sitting with Jimmy Martin’s old Martin guitar outside the Exhibit Hall. But the trip was more than mere nostalgia. Williams still has the same golden voice he exhibited in Martin’s band. And he still has the desire to be part of the action. So there he was late in the week, appearing at a news conference announcing he signed a publishing deal to write for Tall Oaks Music.
His humor remains intact, too. As we parted, I said it was good to see him. With a broad smile and a sparkle in his eyes, he said, “It’s better to be seen than viewed.”
The final reunion moment came when Paul and Kelsi Harrigill, late of Flatt Lonesome, showed up in the Exhibit Hall to play a radio show. The last time they were at IBMA, about six years ago, they carried their four-week-old baby Carter in a tiny basket. This time, Carter joined his parents for a song, then put on a little show of his own. First, he played an original song, then a cover, complete with a G-run. Then he took a deep bow and announced he would sign autographs.
There’s no Flatt Lonesome reunion in the works, but Kelsi and Paul intend to be back on stage somewhere down the line. Don’t be surprised if Carter joins them.
Other items from my notebook:
Sweet Harmonies. You never have to go far to find harmonies at World of Bluegrass, but those in place at the proverbial right time heard two stunning examples. The first came during an Awards Show segment featuring a reunion of the Bluegrass Cardinals after their Hall of Fame induction. The second was during an event celebrating Williams’ songwriting deal. Male vocalist of the year Greg Blake started singing, and when the first chorus rolled around, Doyle Lawson and Williams exchanged a look and jumped in above and below Blake. There was an audible gasp from the audience, then cheers, at the sheer beauty of the moment.
Double Vision. Turnberry Records peppered the Convention Center hallways with larger-than-life headshots of their artists. It wasn’t unusual to see one of the artists posing with their likeness and a fan or two, but it was nonetheless a bit surreal.
Hot Time in the Old Town. After a long week of late nights, guests at the Marriott had a rude awakening Saturday morning when the in-house fire alarm blared and an evacuation was ordered. Two fire trucks quickly arrived and first responders rushed toward potential danger. It didn’t take long to determine there was no fire, just someone who illegally lit up a cigarette in their room.
As displaced and displeased guests waited for elevators to take them back to their rooms, most grumbled about the stupidity of one of their own. But one hotel guest came up with a brilliant plan to get even: Gather every banjo player outside the offender’s room and let ’em rip.
