Died On This Date (December 18, 2011) Warren Hellman / Founder Of Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival
themusicsover Warren Hellman
January 25, 1934 – December 18, 2011
Warren Hellman was a successful private equity investor whose Hellman & Friedman rose to become a multi-billion dollar firm. He was also a philanthropist and music junkie who founded AND funded San Francisco’s popular Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival. A banjo player himself, Hellman launched the Golden Gate Park event in 2001 to an audience of just 13,000. Since then, it has swelled to be one of the world’s greatest music events, drawing as many 500,000 each year over two days. And the best part, it is FREE to attend as Hellman’s gift back to the city. The inaugural festival presented just four acts on the main stage and another five on its second. Performers included Emmylou Harris, Alison Krauss, and Hazel Dickens. The 2011 event hosted over 100 performers including Chris Isaak, Bright Eyes, M. Ward, Steve Earle, Robert Plant, and Del McCoury. Warren Hellman was 77 when he died from complications of leukemia on December 18, 2011. Hellman reportedly left a trust fund to finance future festivals.
Do yourself a favor and attend Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival next year!
Charlie Louvin was a longtime country singer and songwriter who became a national treasure singing alongside his brother Ira Louvin as the Louvin Brothers. From 1940 to 1963, the Louvin Brothers created a catalog of country and folk music that ushered in the use of close harmonies to the genres and would be a direct influence on the likes of the Byrds, the Everly Brothers, Emmylou Harris, Gram Parsons, Alison Krauss, and the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band. Starting out as a Gospel group, the Louvin Brothers soon began singing secular songs so they could reach a larger audience. That lead to appearances at the Grand Ole Opry and several charting singles. The duo disbanded in 1963 and then in 1965, Ira was tragically killed in a car accident, so Charlie forged on as a solo artist. In recent years, Louvin’s career experienced a renaissance thanks to recognition from the likes of Jeff Tweedy of Wilco, Elvis Costello, and Bright Eyes to name just a few. Outside of tributes, his songs have been recorded by Uncle Tupelo, 
