Pete Goble, R.I.P.; Europe recognised in IBMA award

Thanks to Richard Thompson for drawing attention to two news items on Bluegrass Today, beginning with the sad news of the death of Pete Goble yesterday at the age of 86. John Lawless writes: 'Excluding Bill Monroe, Carter Stanley, and Flatt & Scruggs, it is unlikely that anyone has contributed as many songs to the bluegrass canon as Pete.' At the age of 80, by his own account, he had written over 700 songs, and was writing more (and better) than ever before. Listen to his 'When I'm knee deep in bluegrass', an indirect tribute to Bill Monroe - and keep listening when the music stops.

[Update 28 July: see also this feature by David Morris, including funeral arrangements.]

In the second item John Lawless reports the nominees for this year's IBMA awards, inductees into the Bluegrass Hall of Fame, and recipients of Distinguished Achievement Awards (Pete Goble received one in 2002). Among the latter it's a pleasure to see the name of a leading figure on the European bluegrass scene: Christopher Howard-Williams, co-founder and organiser of the outstanding La Roche Bluegrass Festival, held since 2006 at La Roche-sur-Foron, on the edge of the French Alps.

The photo below, taken by Carol Hawkins, shows a historic event in 2009 on the La Roche main stage: the public reconciliation of the two main European bluegrass organisations. (L-r) the mayor of La Roche, M. Thabuis (in Western outfit to present awards); Christopher Howard-Williams, in cap; Dennis Schut of the European World of Bluegrass Association (EWOBA); and Angelika Torrie, treasurer of the European Bluegrass Music Association (EBMA).