If you're a regular fan of bluegrass and spend time in the "bluegrass nation", you'll agree that it is a tight knit and friendly community. Attend IBMA's World of Bluegrass or any other event and you'll see that the "stars" in this world are a different breed of celebrity. My feelings about this were recently solidified with the following personal experience:
Our friend Dennis was recently diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma. He was hospitalized immediately and is facing an extensive round of hospital stays and treatment over the next few months. Dennis is an avid bluegrass fan and has done much to expand the love of this music among his widespread circle of friends and family members. He is also an extremely upbeat person and has brought much joy into many of our lives...he's one of those guys that always brings a smile to your face when you see him. Knowing that we have some contacts in the industry, his wife asked Petunia if we could possibly get some of his favorite artists to either call or leave a positive message of support for him on his CaringBridge page. Petunia sent emails to some folks that we had met along our travels as well as some that we had never met before. We did expect a positive response from those that we contacted, knowing what kind of folks they were. We had no idea, however, of the speedy and heartfelt responses that our request would generate. Within a matter of hours, Dennis received several messages from some of his favorite musicians. These artists have busy schedules and lots of fans. The fact that they would step out and be so kind to someone they do not know really speaks volumes about what kind of people they are. I'd like to thank Claire Lynch, Audie Blaylock, Missy Raines and Tim Stafford and Blue Highway for their much appreciated gestures of kindness.
