August 21 Trivia Question

This Contest is Closed
The winner is Gary DiGiovanni

August 21, 2020 TRIVIA QUESTION

The IBMA (International Bluegrass Music Association) just this month made their very first award of the brand new Sally Ann Forrester Scholarship. $1000!!! In fact, enough money has been donated in the last year since the fund was created by Murphy Henry (of the Murphy Method instruction books, DVDs, CDs and Camps), that IBMA was able to make this award to FIVE different young scholars. $1000 each! What is the double significance of the name of this new scholarship? (By the way, I was thrilled to learn that I actually know one of the recipients, a young banjo picker in Connecticut. Also, contact IBMA if you would like to contribute.)

  1. Sally Ann Forrester (Wilene Forrester) was an early banjo playing comedienne in hillbilly music; recipients must be banjo players
  2. Sally Ann Forrester was the first “woman in bluegrass”- a full-time member of the Monroe’s Blue Grass Boys during WWII playing accordion and singing among other duties; recipients are young ladies intending to study music.
  3. Sally Ann Forrester played the BEST back up rhythm guitar for her husband Fiddling Howdy Forrester when he joined Bill Monroe’s Blue Grass Boys; recipients must be rhythm guitar players.
  4. Sally Ann Forrester handled the Blue Grass Boys ticket and concession receipts; recipients must be bluegrass musicians going to Business School.
  5. Sally Ann Forrester was from Connecticut; recipients must be from Connecticut.

ANSWER is “B”

Additional Bowden Comments

I really appreciate the many answers offered! Hello new contestants. Yes the answer was B. As mentioned in an earlier trivia question (Who was the first Woman in Bluegrass?) Sally Ann (who WAS Fiddling Howdy Forrester’s wife by the way) had joined the Blue Grass Boys with her husband, but Howdy went into the Navy about 1943. Sally Ann was a big contributor to Monroe’s music and BUSINESS. She stayed right with the Blue Grass Boys until Howdy came home in Dec. 1945, then they left to go West and play Western Swing music. Murphy Henry wrote an excellent book in the past few years about Women in Bluegrass and she had a big chapter about Sally Ann. Murphy has really put her money where her heart is by setting up the Sally Ann Forrester Scholarship for young women going to college to study music.

A young banjo picking friend of mine, Clara Guilmette, from Portland CT was one of the five inaugural winners of the scholarship. I was so pleased I sent IBMA a donation to the scholarship fund.

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