The Postal Service’s Bluegrass stamp, honoring one of America’s most popular homegrown art forms, was dedicated at the Bluegrass Hall of Fame and Museum in Owensboro, KY, on March 15.
“Like bluegrass, the Postal Service finds inspiration in our nation’s history — which is why we are so proud of the role we play in portraying the American experience,” said Steven W. Monteith, the organization’s chief customer and marketing officer.
“Bluegrass music is a legacy that can make us all proud, whether we’re a musician or a fan. And it is a legacy we are proud to recognize with this stamp.”
The ceremony was followed by a concert featuring Ricky Skaggs, a 2018 Bluegrass Hall of Fame inductee.
“Millions of people around the world will see this stamp and many of them will want to know more about the music. A huge door has opened up to us,” Skaggs said.
Bluegrass draws from several traditions, especially the folk music of Appalachia. It generally features acoustic string instruments, driving tempos and tight harmonies.
Ethnomusicologist Alan Lomax described it as “folk music in overdrive.”
The style gets its name from Bill Monroe and the Blue Grass Boys, a band that wove the strands of the genre into a distinct category of its own by the mid-20th century.
The stamp’s artwork was inspired by vintage bluegrass concert posters and features four instruments commonly played in bluegrass: a five-string banjo, guitar, fiddle and mandolin. The Bluegrass stamp is available in panes of 20 at Post Offices and usps.com.
