Bluegrass Artist Gloria Belle Comes to Town
Media Contacts:
- , (859) 257-1754, x229
- , (859) 257-1754, x229
LEXINGTON, Ky. (Oct. 29, 2008) – As a part of this year's "Bluegrass in
the Bluegrass" concert series, the University of Kentucky John Jacob Niles Center
for American Music and the Lexington Public Library
will present a concert by noted banjo player, mandolinist and singer Gloria Belle. Local audiences are invited to
catch Belle's sound at one of two free public concerts in Lexington. Her first performance will
be at 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 30, at the Lexington Public Library. A UK performance follows at
noon Friday, Oct. 31, in the Niles
Gallery of the Lucille Caudill
Little Fine Arts Library and Learning Center.
Belle's bluegrass career began back in the 1960s, when she made her first appearance on a Knoxville television station. Following her debut, the Tennessee native would go on to partner up with Danny Bailey of the well known Bailey Brothers before moving to Nashville in the late 1960s and becoming a member of Jimmy Martin's Sunny Mountain Boys. While working with Martin, Belle performed at the Grand Ole Opry; toured Japan; and much more. Belle would later return to perform with Bailey on the Cas Walker Show in the 1980s and even performed with the Bailey Brothers as part of the 1982 World's Fair.
Belle's most recent accomplishments include recognition from the International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA). In 1999, Belle became one of the few female artists to receive the IBMA's Distinguished Achievement Award. Next she would receive a Record Event of the Year award for her participation in "Follow Me Back to the Fold: A Tribute to Women in the Bluegrass" In 2001.
Today, Belle still performs at concerts and festivals for bluegrass audiences with her own band Gloria Belle and Tennessee Sunshine, which also features bassist and vocalist G.R. Davis; banjo player Ray Edwards; and guitarist and vocalist Mike Long. Recently Belle has released three projects, two of which feature traditional bluegrass gospel music.
For more information on the Gloria Belle concerts or other "Bluegrass in the Bluegrass" concerts, contact Ron Pen, director of the Niles Center, by phone at (859) 257-8183 or by e-mail, or contact Kelli Dean, program coordinator at the Lexington Public Library, by phone at (859) 231-5549 or by e-mail.
Belle's bluegrass career began back in the 1960s, when she made her first appearance on a Knoxville television station. Following her debut, the Tennessee native would go on to partner up with Danny Bailey of the well known Bailey Brothers before moving to Nashville in the late 1960s and becoming a member of Jimmy Martin's Sunny Mountain Boys. While working with Martin, Belle performed at the Grand Ole Opry; toured Japan; and much more. Belle would later return to perform with Bailey on the Cas Walker Show in the 1980s and even performed with the Bailey Brothers as part of the 1982 World's Fair.
Belle's most recent accomplishments include recognition from the International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA). In 1999, Belle became one of the few female artists to receive the IBMA's Distinguished Achievement Award. Next she would receive a Record Event of the Year award for her participation in "Follow Me Back to the Fold: A Tribute to Women in the Bluegrass" In 2001.
Today, Belle still performs at concerts and festivals for bluegrass audiences with her own band Gloria Belle and Tennessee Sunshine, which also features bassist and vocalist G.R. Davis; banjo player Ray Edwards; and guitarist and vocalist Mike Long. Recently Belle has released three projects, two of which feature traditional bluegrass gospel music.
For more information on the Gloria Belle concerts or other "Bluegrass in the Bluegrass" concerts, contact Ron Pen, director of the Niles Center, by phone at (859) 257-8183 or by e-mail, or contact Kelli Dean, program coordinator at the Lexington Public Library, by phone at (859) 231-5549 or by e-mail.