June 24th, 2003

Hello Folks:

Here's a little update on King of Bluegrass: The Life and Times of Jimmy Martin.

Just returned form the 37th Annual Bill Monroe Bluegrass Festival in Bean Blossom, IN. It was an amazing weekend, with great weather. A large chunk of the performance footage in King of Bluegrass was shot at Bean Blossom because the sound is so good there. The highlight of the weekend was a 30-year reunion with Jimmy Martin and the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band. They played songs from the 1st Will the Circle Be Unbroken album like the Grand Ole Opry Song, Walking Shoes, and others. It was the first Jimmy Martin show in over 3 years that I didn't film, so it was nice to actually sit in a lawn chair and soak it all up.

In terms of promoting the film, this week we are hoping to finalize a screening for industry folks at the International Bluegrass Music Association Trade Show this fall. We are also putting together a screening in my hometown of Bloomington, IN. In terms of film festivals we should be hearing from a number of festivals within the next month or so.

We are also getting a lot of buzz about the film through the media. Articles and reviews are forthcoming in Country Music Magazine, Gritz Magazine, the IBMA Newsletter, Take Country Back, and Bluegrass Now. Once these reviews are available, we will put links to the articles on the website, so check back for more updates!

That's the scoop for now. Thanks for your interest and please spread the word.

George Goehl
Director
June 24, 2003