MATTHEW BURNETTE

Staff Writer

Sept. 26 will see the return of the Southeast Bluegrass Banjo Championship to Common John Brewing Co. off of Woodbury Hwy in Manchester.

The competition invites musicians to come and compete with a variety of instruments including banjo, fiddle, mandolin, guitar and dobro. Also newly added this year is a “Old Time Singing” category, a staple of competitions, as well as one for ages 13-17 in fiddle.

There is a $20 entry fee for each contestant with registration beginning at 8 a.m. on the day of the competition and the first contest starting at 9.

Each place winner in every category gets a cash prize. First and second in the 12 and under open category each receive a banjo, first place in the “Old Time Singing” contest receives a recording session and dobro first place receives a Gold Tone dobro.

Prizes for other categories include a Nechville banjo made from curly maple with a black nebula finish that retails for $7,000 and a mandolin and guitar provided by Stone Fort Music owned by competition founder Joey Gipson and musician Michael Klug.

Additionally, every first and second place winner receives a Banjo Ben gift card.

Larry Chunn from the Grand Ole Opry will emcee the event and his wife Cheryl Chunn, a dancer at the Opry and fiddle player will judge alongside Kenny Smith from the Lonesome River Band and local musician Chuck Holcomb.

Last year’s competition had 60 contestants and around 2,000 people throughout the day, and Gipson says that he hopes to double the number of competitors this year. He also has hopes that his Championship will become a prominent one in the U.S.

“Within the next five years, I want it to be the biggest competition in the nation, and right now I’m on a pretty good track,” he explained. “I want to turn it into a two-day event with several more different categories. The Smithville Jamboree is a big two-day event, and the one in Athens, Alabama at the college Oct. 3 and 4, they probably have 4-5,000 people on a Friday night and usually more on Saturdays. That’s what I’m shooting for.”

He also hopes that the competition will eventually grow large enough that they have to move it out of Common John.

“I love it there,” he said. “It’s a great venue, and they’ve been so awesome to let me do it there and all the help they put into it, but it’s growing pretty quick. It’s just my second year and it’s probably going to be twice as big as it was last year.”

Gipson says that his main reason for starting and continuing the competition is for the kids.

“That’s what I grew up doing and it gives them something to do and keeps them out of trouble,” he explained. “I never got into anything major that wasn’t normal for a kid. These contests are fading away. The older people are getting to where they can’t do them anymore and nobody is taking them over so that’s why I started this one.”

In addition to giving them something to do and despite the nature of a competition, Gipson notes that he hopes to see friendships blossom from the event.

“Even if you beat somebody, you’re still good friends, and it’s just something great especially for kids if I get them into hat 12 and under category,” he said. “Even if they really don’t play anything, they make friends with somebody that does, and then they’ll start going to the next contest and then the next one and the next one and then before you know it, you’ve got amazing musicians.”