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20 August 2023

Jan Jerrold, pioneer of bluegrass in Britain: the Dublin connection

On Friday 18 Aug. a major feature by Richard Thompson marked the thirtieth anniversary of the death of Jan Jerrold (1941-93), of whom Richard says: 'His importance in the popularity of bluegrass music in the UK could scarcely be overstated.' The British Bluegrass Music Association (BBMA) commemorates him in its Jan Jerrold Award to distinguished members of the bluegrass community in Britain. Of special interest to BIB readers are these words in the article, quoted from Jan's brother Alan:

'The family moved [from the USA] to Dublin in 1950 after my father’s death. We spent a while in France on the way. Jan moved to London after he got married in 1963.'

Niall Toner has commented to the BIB: 'I had many great discussions with Jan. He was a " one-off"!''

As well as the article's great historical value, readers should also enjoy the ten videos and two audio tracks of bands with which Jan Jerrold was associated, and half-a dozen photos of him with US and British musicians.

© Richard Hawkins

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