Northeast Texas bluegrass newsletter up for national award 

By LYNN MONTGOMERY | East Texas Edition

Feb. 2, 2006 - Excitement over a national recognition is hard to contain in any small community, and in one Northeast Texas community, the excitement is overflowing because one of their own has been nominated for a Society for the Preservation of Bluegrass Music of America (SPBGMA) award.

One of six to be nominated in the Bluegrass Club Newsletter of the Year, The Red River Valley Bluegrass News by Brenda Burks will claim its fame during the 23rd annual convention Feb. 2-5 in Nashville, Tenn.

Newsletter Editor Brenda Burks, who lives in Lamar County near Paris, said she was “giddy with excitement” when she was just recently told the bimonthly publication was nominated.

�I am so excited. I am speechless and people that know me would never believe that. Have you ever been so happy that you thought you would burst? That�s how I feel. I just can�t believe it. It is such an honor to be nominated,� Burks exclaimed.

Consideration for the award involved sending five of the last three issues to the nominating committee. Out of all the newsletters entered, only six are selected to be nominated for the prestigious award.

A SPBGMA award is “equivalent to an Oscar” in the bluegrass world of music, according to Burks, a member of the Red River Valley Bluegrass Club.

The editor for eight years, Burks stated the publication is not just a Texas newsletter. She mails it to club members, over 300, who live across the country, including Florida and California.

The proud moment has not gone unnoticed, especially by Burks’ husband Randy who did a little surprising himself by rearranging his work schedule and borrowing the money to be able to take his wife to the convention and its festivities in Nashville. 

Burks is no stranger to bluegrass. She promotes bluegrass music wherever she goes. Not only does she report and feature what’s happening within her own club, but if it is something important in the bluegrass industry, she is telling it.

�I set up a table at every festival (including one in Montana). I attend and I promote everybody. We promote the genre,� she said.

Promoting is something she even does with anyone riding in her car because the only thing she listens to on the radio is bluegrass. “I love the music.”

The Red River Valley Bluegrass News, according to Burks, is usually between 12 and 18 pages. There is always a column by the editor, club news, and a list of promoters, musicians and bands, and a list of events across the country.

�Everything is off the cuff. I don�t want the newsletter to be complacent and boring,� she said.

The newsletter has brought joy to Burks but it also has brought lots of friends. “I don’t get paid, but the rewards are great. It’s the best job I have ever had. I’ve got over 100 close friends, and I mean close, that I could call on it a heartbeat.”

For more information about the club and newsletter, contact Burks at 903-784-8859 or visit online at redrivervalley.iwebland.com