The Bluegrass Unlimited Submission Guidelines, i.e. a set of policies and rules for people to submit their own photos or writing to Bluegrass Unlimited, helped pave the way for Bluegrass, and notably to social aspect of Bluegrass Music, throughout the late 20th century. At this time, Bluegrass Unlimited had a paid circulation of over 25,000. This allowed fans to get involved with the music and artists in ways other than playing, get paid for it, and ultimately spread the word about the music, both nationally and internationally.
The development of Bluegrass media did not begin until the mid 1960s, first with the Bluegrass Bulletin and then with Bluegrass Unlimited. In the first issue of the Bluegrass Bulletin, the writer P.A. Richardson wrote about how “Bluegrass Music is never to be amplified,” and that the moment you are amplified, you cease to be a bluegrass band. Later, in 1966, he revised his statement in saying that there wasn’t currently a clear picture of what Country music was. (Rosenberg p217) This ties into the distortion of genre walls in the 1960s and 1960s, with bands including Jim & Jesse, the Osborne Brothers, J.D. Crowe & the New South (using pickups), the Country Gentlemen, the Bluegrass Alliance, or later even New Grass Revival, and their trailblazing journey to the center of traditional Bluegrass music. (See Rick Gentry – “Bean Blossom 1971” – softening of Monroe’s traditionalism, inclusion of Newgrass)
-Thomas Cassell
Back Up and Push 