Folks, the Emcee (MC) has been the ringmaster of the musical stage since cavepersons first began holding entertainment events. Sadly, it is a dying art. You just don't see emcees at music festivals like you used to. The John Hartford Memorial Festival is determined to entertain, educate and inform and we intend to revive and keep alive, this disappearing art. Our emcees were approached and selected because of their genuine personalities and ability to communicate and enunciate, while chewing on a biscuit.
We are not all professional radio folk, that’s not the qualification. We are people persons, fearless, fans of the music of John Hartford and we will remind you throughout this festival of our mission to remain laid back, green and fun.
Our former Grand Master of Ceremonies, the honorable Sam Jackson from Greenbrier TN has been a fixture at Bean Blossom since 1971, and has been our Emcee and treasured friend, since the inception of the John Hartford Memorial
Festival. Sam has decided to join the ranks of the truly laid back, and retire. Sam will always be welcome to our festival, and will remain in spirit. Our new Grand Master of Ceremonies is the honorable Hondo Thompson, from Nashville, IN.
Hondo Thompson
I was born in the 1960s and began wandering hither and yon after only 6 months on the planet. My homes have ranged from Okinawa Japan to the native village of Aniak, Alaska. I’ve worked from the office cubicals of environmental agencies to the decks of fishing boats in the waters of Bristol Bay. But after all of that, it is my little 1930s log cabin in the woods and hills of southern Indiana that I am happy to call “home” for the last decade. From day one of moving here I have been a delighted volunteer of WFHB (Volunteer powered, community radio for south central Indiana) which has afforded me the opportunities to be in front of the Microphone for several awesome local events such as the BIRA’s Bayou Boogie, the Acoustic Roots Festival, the Lotus Festival, Hillbilly Haiku, and others.
Hondo Thompson
Dave Bellavia
Dave Bellavia, of Tulsa, Oklahoma, I have been attending and working music festivals for 20+ years. I am committed to providing an environment in which performers love performing and make their best music. Of equal importance to me is the the safety, comfort, and enjoyment of the audience. We've all spent a good bit of our time, and money getting to Bean Blossom because
the John Hartford Memorial Festival represents a special opportunity to achieve magic-to create a musical paradise where the best musicians play their best sets in front of audiences who cannot imagine missing those sets. It is an honor to serve and enjoy with the most dedicated, professional staff and crew in the business. JHMF is simply a no-miss family affair.
Ernie Hill
Ernie Hill
I live with my soul mate/wife, Patti, in the southern foothills of the Arkansaw Ozarks. I'm a singer songwriter, copy writer, freelance journalist and I've written a novel and several short stories, including a book on songwriting and the Muse, "The Cosmic Path to Melody and Lyric", available from my website. I also write most of what the JHMF puts out in all areas of media and coined our fest nickname, "The Most Laid Back Festival in America". I manage and host the John Hartford Memorial Festival Songwriter's Challenge songwriting contest, and am the emcee coordinator. I have been a staff writer for the Walnut Valley festival for over 25 years. I have spent a great deal of my writing life helping other musicians and artists by writing their reviews and stories, and publishing at www.wordsofernest.com, ifiddle.com and nodepression.com, The Grateful Web, as well as several other music rags and eZines. I created and host "Story Songs with Ernie", a songwriter presentation/panel discussion on creativity. I am presenting this unique set at several festivals including this one, where it was first presented five years ago.
It was after the 1st JHMF, that I met Jeff Mankins, of the Steam Powered Preservation Society, who led me to John Hotze, lifelong friend of John Hartford and founder of our festival. I wrote John Hotze's story and published it at nodepression.com. along with an article about John Hartford and his impact on the Roots/NewGrass music revolution. That story and others are archived here at this website on the Morning Bugle page, a blog and news page I write for the festival. When I told John Hotze I was a songwriter, he challenged me to write a song for the festival. I wrote "Tribute to John Hartford" and it became the foundation for our songwriting contest and is considered our honorary theme song. This song used several Hartford titles in it and was about John and the festival. It is included in Deep Fried Pickle Project"s John Hartford Tribute album, "Up On The Hill", along with several other fest related bands. It was released at the 2015 festival. This is how Patti and I became involved with this cool event. I am honored to be a part of all of this. I am honored to have worked in the presence of Sam Jackson, whom I deeply respect, and I am honored to have recruited and to be involved with such a great crew of emcees! I am tickled to be part of a festival that believes in keeping this tradition alive. Good to know you. I'm also a nut, and I'm proud of that too. With this very cool crew steering the stages, I have stepped aside and back to the title "alternate emcee". Break-time!
Kurt Hubbard
Although I’ve lived just all over the country, the people and the memories are why I call Indiana home. I recently moved back to the Bloomington area after a few years in North Carolina, but that never stopped me from coming back for the greatest event of the year. Since I first came to the festival for JHMF4, I haven’t missed one and have always been actively involved to help try and keep the event to be what I have fallen in love with! So far my first year I was working with one of the bands, next year working with the same band. I also helped run sound at the Boogie Tent. The next year I got bold and weaseled my way into an Emcee position and they are kind enough to keep having me back. Come find me and talk with me about my favorite time and place to exist (The Bean when JHMF is going on) or to find a good place to pick, you may even catch me with my trusty bass!
Keith Dudding