Talk of an organized association to preserve Bluegrass music led to a meeting held at the Rainbow Motel in Taylorsville, MS in the fall of 1975. Letters had been sent out to people interested in Bluegrass music listing details of the meeting time and date
Officers and a Board of Directors were elected from amongst those attending. These people are the Founding and Charter members of the Magnolia State Bluegrass Association. The Beasley Bunch, The Country Neighbors (presently known as The Darden Family), Southern Bluegrass Boys, and John Stuart and the Bluegrass Five were the first Association member bands.
The first outdoor festival the MSBA bands played was the Atwood Bluegrass Festival held in conjunction with the Pearl River Basin Development District. The festival was held at the Atwood Water Park in Monticello, MS. The first indoor show was at the South Mississippi Music Hall in Runnelstown, MS.
At a regular meeting of the membership, it was determined that it would be in the best interests of the association to incorporate as a non-profit corporation under the laws of the State of Mississippi. The motion was made, seconded, and passed. On June 13, 1978 Magnolia State Bluegrass Association was incorporated as a non-profit organization.
The purpose of Magnolia State Bluegrass Association, Inc as stated in the article of incorporation reads:
To establish an association among the citizens of the State of Mississippi who are interested in the enjoyment and promotion of bluegrass and its related music forms and other native art forms, and in the preservation of the cultural heritage of the people of Mississippi, and in the education and furtherance of knowledge about the history, practice and development of bluegrass and its related folk and gospel music forms, all to the end that the membership and the people of Mississippi generally will preserve this musical heritage; and in general to do and perform all such other acts and things necessary, suitable, and proper for the accomplishment of the foregoing purposes.
That, my friends, is a brief history of MSBA. We are a very active group of bluegrass pickers, singers, and fans with activities year-round who cooperate with other Bluegrass associations in the surrounding states for maximum effectiveness.
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