About

BLUEGRASS HAWAI`I is a traditional and bluegrass music society dedicated to connecting fans and musicians all over the Hawaiian Islands, and supporting events and concerts that help promote and perpetuate bluegrass and traditional music.

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You may be wondering how bluegrass & traditional music could have found a place to grow and flourish all the way out here in the middle of the Pacific. Well, my late mom and step-dad were two of the founding members of the Adirondack Bluegrass League in upstate New York, launched in 1972, so the music is in my blood! I’m also a bluegrass music journalist, co-author of Still Inside, the authorized biography of flatpicking guitar pioneer Tony Rice with Tim Stafford from Blue Highway, and former editor of the now-defunct magazine Bluegrass Now.

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I lived on O’ahu from 1990-1997, and during that time, I met perhaps a dozen bluegrass musicians. After a four-year absence, I returned to the islands in 2001, and began wondering what had happened to all those pickers. Surely there could be more I didn’t know about! I decided to test the waters with an open, free jam session at Thomas Square, a lovely park in the heart of Honolulu.

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Our first jam was held on Sunday, May 11, 2003, and drew music lovers from all over O’ahu, including many amateur and professional musicians.  Our community has grown to include bluegrassers from all over the Hawaiian Islands, and even in other states and countries.

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You might be surprised to learn that there are jams and singing events on O`ahu, Maui, the Big Island of Hawai’i and Kauai. Bluegrass is growing strong in Hawai’i!  We are a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization and we offer paid memberships at $20 per person per year.  Please come and join us at one of our events and jams… and don’t forget to come up and say HOWDY!

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Warm aloha from Caroline Wright
Founder and President Emeritus,
BLUEGRASS HAWAI`I Traditional & Bluegrass Music Society