| Cover story |
Bill and Mona Jones, founders of the Bluegrass Pickin’ Time at Dixon, shown here with Bluegrass Now magazine publisher Wayne Bledsoe, have been inducted into the Preservation Hall of Greats by the Society for the Preservation of Bluegrass Music in America. Also inducted was the couple’s daughter, the late Carol Jones. Missouri bluegrass greats Bill and Mona Jones honored for their contributions to the music By Wayne Bledsoe Without
question, Providence played a major role when Bill and Mona Jones first
met in 1953. Not only did they come to share a deep, abiding love for
each another, but from the outset they shared a mutual love for music.
Mona, who had played guitar since the age of seven, was already a
powerful rhythm player, and Bill was equally proficient on the bass, but
little did either of them realize as they performed at local churches,
hospitals, nursing homes and fairs in the ‘50s and ‘60s the impact
they were destined to have on the music scene west of the Mississippi
River. A
sequence of events that changed their lives forever began in 1969 when
their fiddle player, Garvin Lee, spoke glowingly of a bluegrass festival
founded by Bill Monroe and held annually at Bean Blossom, Ind., that
attracted extremely large crowds and inspired endless jam sessions.
Based upon Lee’s enthusiastic recommendation, Bill and Mona decided to
attend the Bean Blossom festival in June 1969. While the crowds and jam
sessions impressed the Missouri duo, it was actually the overall
festival structure, organization and stage presentations that captured
Bill’s imagination. On
the return trip home, he and Mona discussed their Bean Blossom
experience and agreed that Missouri needed a similar annual event,
albeit on a smaller scale. Thus, the idea was conceived for the first
annual "Bluegrass Pickin’ Time,"
which came to fruition
three months later, on Labor Day weekend, 1969, at the Fairview
Community Center. Bill
and Mona Jones’ success as bluegrass promoters must be attributed to a
great deal more than good fortune and perseverance. Make
no mistake about it, as unassuming as he may appear in his bib-overalls
and plaid shirts, Bill Jones is an astute business man. He grew his
festival as resources allowed, heeded the likes and dislikes of the
fans, and he was never reluctant to reverse decisions that proved
unpopular. For example, in 1970, for his second annual show, Bill
decided to change the name from "Bluegrass Pickin’ Time," to
simply "Bluegrass Festival." While the name, "Bill
Monroe’s Bluegrass Festival," proved to be pure magic in Bean
Blossom, Indiana, folks in the "Show Me State" were more
skeptical of what types of music might be included in a
"festival." Consequently, in 1975 Bill reverted to the
original name, "Bluegrass Pickin’ Time," which was more
palatable to the fans and continues in use today. Also
crucial to the Jones’ success as promoters has been their perennial
commitment to keeping God, country, family and traditional bluegrass
paramount in their shows. Each festival began with prayer, there was a
Sunday morning worship service, and among the booked bands, Bill
consistently included several all-gospel groups. All "Bluegrass
Pickin’ Time" handbills contained a clearly stated policy of zero
tolerance for the use of controlled substances and a request that all
attendees show good taste in their daily attire. Although
Bill and Mona understood and accepted the decision of some bands to
abandon use of the bulky, upright bass in their desire to simplify
travel logistics, until their retirement in 2005 the Jones remained firm
in their refusal to book bands that used electric instruments, believing
that traditional bluegrass music was to be played on acoustic
instruments. The
Jones family, Bill, Mona, and Carol, based their personal life and
business on a set of guiding principles, to which they continually
remained true. Evidence
of those principles can be seen in what came to be one of the most
popular segments of the family’s Labor Day show. In the waning hours
of the closing evening, when most festivals are down to a very sparse
crowd, the Dixon Music Park remained abuzz with excitement in
anticipation of the final act, which included all the booked bands on
stage for what constituted a "professional jam." This grand
finale was in part for the entertainment of the fans, but it was also a
concerted effort on the part of Bill, Mona, and Carol to demonstrate to
the fans the familial bond that exists between bands. The highlight of
the finale came when Carol Jones appeared on stage with a patriotic
presentation and the closing prayer for the festival. As much as the
Jones family loved bluegrass music, at each event, God, patriotism, and
family always held pride of place. While
the names of Bill and Mona Jones will always be associated with the
"Bluegrass Pickin’ Time" festivals, and understandably so,
close friends have long known that Carol Jones was the secret catalyst
that made the longevity and success of Dixon Music Park possible. Due
to Bill’s adherence to uncompromising principles and his success in
pleasing the fans, by 1981 he had outgrown the facilities at the
Fairview Community Center and after serious consideration of alternative
venues, decided to move the fall festival to his property on Highway
133. Not only did Bill install state-of-the-art facilities at the new
Dixon Music Park for the comfort of campers, he also erected a very
modern, spacious kitchen that provided excellent food, and he built a
stage that would be the envy of any promoter in the U. S. In addition to
the spacious, attractive stage area, Bill also included backstage
facilities that provided comforts for artists, seldom found at even the
larger festival venues. Based
on the success of the Labor Day festival and the construction of the new
music park, in 1982 Bill and Mona added a second festival, which is held
annually on Memorial Day weekend. From the outset it experienced the
same popularity as the Labor Day festival and in 2005 it celebrated its
25th anniversary, while the same year the Labor Day festival celebrated
its 37th anniversary. It
should be a point of pride for Missourians, and it’s definitely a
commentary on the talents, perseverance, and business acumen of Bill and
Mona Jones that the Labor Day weekend "Bluegrass Pickin’
Time" festival has become the oldest, continuous running bluegrass
festival in the United States. In
recognition of Bill and Mona’s contribution to the bluegrass industry,
especially the expansion of bluegrass west of the Mississippi River, in
1987 the International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA) presented Bill
and Mona with a "Distinguished Achievement Award," making them
the first festival promoters to receive this very prestigious honor. Given
their lifetime contributions to bluegrass music both as promoters and
musicians, it is hardly surprising that Bill and Mona have received
numerous awards and honors. In 1973 at the First Annual Winter Bluegrass
Festival at the Lake of the Ozarks, the Horseshoe Bend Resort
Association presented Bill and Mona with an "Award of Merit for
Distinguished Services," and in 1990 Gov. John Ashcroft presented
Bill, Mona and Carol a governmental citation "In Recognition of 30
Years of Outstanding Promotion of Bluegrass Music." As
promoters and members of Bill Jones and the Bluegrass Travelers, they
have received more than 30 regional and national awards from the Society
for the Preservation of Bluegrass Music in American (SPBGMA), including
"Promoter of the Year," "Rhythm Guitar Player of the
Year" (Mona), "Gospel Bluegrass Band–Traditional,"
"Album of the Year," "Bluegrass Band of the
Year–Traditional," and Carol received a number of awards for
"Female Lead Singer–Traditional." Perhaps
the most prestigious honor accorded Bill Jones and the Bluegrass
Travelers came in July of 1976 when the Smithsonian Institute invited
the band to participate in the American Folk Life Festival, which was
held in Washington, D.C. in celebration of the country’s bicentennial.
The organizers of the festival scheduled music from around the world
that had influenced American culture and Bill Jones and the Bluegrass
Travelers were called upon to represent Traditional Bluegrass and Gospel
Music. The band played daily for crowds in excess of 240,000 people. Bill
and Mona’s recording career spans more than half a century as they
recorded a 78 rpm in the mid ‘50s and several 45 rpms, Extended Play,
in the ‘60s. They have five albums, 10 cassettes, and two CDs to their
credit. The Old Home Place, a highly recommended two-CD collection of
songs, has been a best seller for the Jones and their 1982 album,
Holding Up the Ladder, contains what is arguably the best version of the
title song ever recorded. Bill,
Mona, and the late Carol Jones devoted their entire adult lives to the
promotion and preservation of the great American tradition, bluegrass
music. For their lifetimes of service, as promoters and musicians,
SPBGMA has inducted the family into the Preservation Hall of Greats. Bill
and Mona, all of your extended family and friends celebrate with you in
this well-deserved honor. Wayne
Bledsoe is the publisher and editor of Bluegrass Now Magazine
and the
bluegrass producer and host for Public Radio
KUMR-FM, University of
Missouri-Rolla. |
