For the uninitiated, Bluegrass Along the Harpeth is not, in fact, along the river, but is located on the Franklin Square. Of its 35 years in existence, around 25 of them have taken place there, says festival founder and chairman Tommy Jackson.
Rocky Top Revue's Tommy Jackson at Pilgrimage, 9/29/2024
Jackson remembers a time when there were bluegrass bands on every corner in Williamson County, and hopes this year’s festival, as always, is a chance for new such bands to form and perform. Set to take place on Friday and Saturday, Bluegrass Along the Harpeth is held in honor of Sam and Kirk McGee, two Williamson County residents who were founding members of the Grand Ole Opry.
“Hopefully, we can be the jump start for those to mix and mingle and end up creating more bands for the longevity and preservation of the dance and the music,” Jackson tells Williamson Scene.
On Friday night, the festival will welcome a country act for the first time — bluegrass is the roots of country, gospel, jazz and even rap music, after all, Jackson says. Bluegrass band Stoney Lonesome will close out Friday night before Saturday’s competition begins. From 9 a.m. until 10 p.m., 15 competitions are set to take place, including for individual instruments like mandolin, flat top guitar, fiddle and banjo as well as for old time singing, old time string bands and bluegrass bands. Buck dancers and freestyle dancers will round out the competition.
The final act, Bluegrass Open, will be decided by the audience — deciding which band best learned a song from another genre on the fly.
“Competition is a word,” Jackson says. “The main thing these kids like to be is on a stage in front of that many people showing the art form. That money is OK and it's fine if they win, but they are ham bones. They love to have people like the art form.”
It’s important to Jackson to keep the event easy to access, so there’s no price for entry. That also applies to the musicians — performers pay just $3 to enter and bands are free. All of the proceeds go to the Arts Council of Williamson County.
“We love the people to come down, but the most important persons are the musicians, the artists,” he says. “Those are the ones that make the magic. If you don't have them, you don't have a festival, point blank.”
Audiences may recognize Jackson as a dancer first, and the founder of Rocky Top Revue, which offers lessons for free on the Franklin Square. Bluegrass is nostalgic for older folks — and Jackson is adamant about making sure there are tents with chairs, water and fans so they feel comfortable attending. But the younger generation is getting interested, too. Out of Jackson’s 40 dancers, 20 of them are between the ages of 6 and 12.
“This type of music's infectious,” he says. “When they start playing, we've seen people just on the sidelines that you never would have thought got up and start trying to dance or trying to interact. It gets your feet moving.”