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 Bluegrass music is growing by leaps and bounds, even as other popular music forms have faltered. Believe it or not, over 1500 bluegrass music festivals are held yearly in America. And, more Americans attend bluegrass festivals than all other musical events combined!
 In past times, bluegrass was dismissed as "hillbilly" music sung "from the heart through the nose!" But in recent years, the purity and simplicity of bluegrass music's lyrics and the soulful delivery of its performers has been rediscovered as containing something special not found in other music. To fans, bluegrass is simply "the real deal." Moreover, bluegrass fans are willing to travel long distances to hear live performances by their favorite bluegrass musicians.
THE DON RENO CONNECTION Bluegrass music has traditionally been identified with high spirited festivals, where the best bluegrass is found. According to legend, the very first bluegrass festival grew out of a 1958 backstage jam at the Grand Old Opry with Don Reno.
Reno's manager invited these same musicians to repeat their "no holds barred" jam for a gathering in his small home town in Virginia. Yes, Virginia, that gathering became the first bluegrass festival ever. And, as the old saying goes, the rest is history!
One reason for the success of RenoFest is because it honors SC native and bluegrass legend Don Reno - a master singer, songwriter, and instrumentalist on guitar and banjo. As a young man, Reno perfected the “three finger roll” style of banjo picking which had originated with Snuffy Jenkins of Columbia, SC. Bill Monroe liked Reno’s rendition of this unique style so much that he adopted it for his band, The Kentucky Bluegrass Boys. That sound quickly became the signature sound of what was soon known everywhere as bluegrass music. After defending his country overseas in WWII, Reno returned to bluegrass music and founded his own seminal band, Reno & Smiley. In their heyday, Reno & Smiley brought their famous act to Hartsville's CENTER THEATER, which is now the home of RenoFest!
Reno was so profound a guitar master picker that he was universally referred to as "King of the Flatpickers." Reno taught many a hot lick to the royalty of bluegrass, including Bill Monroe, Lester Flatt, Earl Scruggs, and the Stanley Brothers. Today, students of guitar and banjo meticulously study the recordings of Don Reno in an effort to capture the unique Reno Style.
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RenoFest was started in 1998 as a one day
concert in Hartsville, SC. Since then, it has become a regional tradition and wonderful
opportunity to welcome both the beginning of Springtime and the start of America’s bluegrass
festival season. In January of 2006, RenoFest was honored by the SC Festival & Event
Association with its most prestigious award, the “State Event of the Year.”
RenoFest is reminiscent of the good old “County Fair Days” of yesterday as host of the South
Carolina’s only State Championship Bluegrass Band, Guitar and Banjo Contests. Additionally
RenoFest offers concerts featuring America’s best bluegrass musicians. Most events take place
in the historic Center Theater in downtown Hartsville, which provides the festival with a
luxurious and comfortable “rain or shine” setting.
Unlike most states, South Carolina has but a few bluegrass festivals. Thanks to the vision and
dedication of two Darlington County brothers, Russ and Rob Jordan, Hartsville, SC became home
to the first RenoFest Bluegrass Festival in 1998. Through the Jordans' tireless efforts, and
with assistance from Hartsville's Judi Elvington and Marty Driggers, on behalf of the
Hartsville Downtown Development Association, RenoFest has grown into one of the best bluegrass
festivals anywhere.
By 2003, RenoFest was selected as the state's "Event of the Year" by Main Street South Carolina
and in January of 2006 it was selected South Carolina's “Event of the Year”
by the SC Festival & Event Association. Today, RenoFest fans from far and wide descend on
Hartsville each Spring and fill every hotel to capacity in pursuit of great bluegrass music.
In 2005, one couple traveled all the way from California to enjoy RenoFest!
In case you are not familiar with bluegrass music, the following is a crash course.
From early 2001 through 2003, the "Oh, Brother" sound-track was America's best selling CD.
Artists like Dolly Partin, Patti Loveless and Travis Tritt feature bluegrass in their CD's
and concerts. Did we mention Allison Krause??? As Ricky Skaggs says, "Bluegrass Rules!"
At the time, Don Reno and Red Smiley (one of bluegrass music's greatest duos), got together
with Bill Monroe's Bluegrass Boys following a show on the Opry and started jamming to the
amazement of all present.
Among Reno's many musical credits are "Using My Bible For A Roadmap," a hit that rescued a
record company from bankruptcy, and "Dueling Banjos" from the movie Deliverance, which is
credited with increasing the popularity of bluegrass music around the world. No wonder Reno is
such a giant in bluegrass circles!
Although RenoFest started as a one day concert in 1998, the Hartsville Downtown Development
Association (HDDA) upgraded RenoFest to a three-day festival in 2000. RenoFest is now the home
of the State Championship Guitar and Banjo Contests. In 2006, RenoFest added the first
State Championship Bluegrass Band Contest.
Join us in Hartsville for the finest celebration of Bluegrass in the Southeast, and a tribute
to one of its biggest artists -- Don Reno.