I'm pretty immersed in bluegrass and can't say that I know any blackgrass musicians. The irony is that one of Bill Monroe's great influences was the black blues guitarist Arnold Schultz, with whom he spent much time. You can definitely hear the influence in his music and in the bluegrass that I like most.

We go to several bluegrass festivals every summer, and I remember seeing ONE black person, a non-musician woman, at a festival which has since gone under. Of course she was noticeable against the crowd of white faces, but at ease and welcomed. I sometimes fret over the insular nature of this music I love, and in fact have had some serious issues regarding the whole sub-culture in terms of not only race, but also religious zealotry, southern pride, "family" values, etc. I also have some of those same issues while sitting in an audience of a classical symphony concert. Every special interest group seems to perpetuate itself with this kind of insularity.

In any case, I like what I like and I don't like what I don't like, which tends to self-regulate music generally, no? I welcome the upcoming opportunity to hear some black gospel quartet music (which I like) while also getting to play some bluegrass (which I like). It will be an interesting mix of music, and it will be interesting to see the reaction.