There wouldn't be bluegrass if it weren't for Bill Monroe. He gave the genre its name, its distinctive style, and for most of the 20th century, embodied the essence of the art form, which is typically delivered by a five-piece acoustic string band featuring instrumental virtuosity on banjo, fiddle, mandolin, guitar and string bass, and close harmonies sung in a plaintive, high lonesome voice.

Monroe's influence reaches far and deep, and will be very much in evidence during the Freight's popular annual tribute. And who better to host the event than twice named bluegrass Female Vocalist of the year Laurie Lewis, who won a Grammy for her work on the album True Life Blues: The Songs of Bill Monroe. "Bill Monroe's repertoire of recorded material was so vast and varied," Laurie says, "that the first year we felt we had barely scratched the surface. Last year, we expanded to two nights, and still real gems were left unrepresented. This year, we're back to one night of all killer, no filler."

Joining Laurie on stage will be a long-list of Bay area bluegrass luminaries, including Alice Gerrard (of Hazel and Alice, Tom Brad and Alice, Strange Creek Singers, and Old Time Herald fame), long-time collaborator and mandolin master Tom Rozum, Butch Waller (mandolin, High Country), Chad Manning, (fiddler, David Bluegrass Experience, Laurie Lewis and the Right Hands), Patrick Sauber (banjo, Laurie Lewis and the Right Hands), Peter Feldman (Very Lonesome Boys), incomparable fiddler Blaine Sprouse  (Bill Monroe, Jimmy Martin, The Bluegrass Band, Very Lonesome Boys, to name a few), Tom Sauber (guitar, vocals) & his son Patrick performing some Monroe Brother duets, and master of ceremonies and bass vocalist Tony Marcus.

Visit Laurie Lewis's website

Listen to a track from Laurie Lewis: