This Is Bluegrass Listen again

Tom Henderson is a guy who has always loved music played with simple

instruments and sung in mournful Southern accents. But doing a syndicated

bluegrass radio show, being a member of a bluegrass band and owner/operator

of a music shop dedicated to bluegrass and country music, I’d

say he has a total passion for it. Rightly so, bluegrass, the original

country music, just has that sound.

Tom does a syndicated radio show called "This is Bluegrass"

heard throughout the Southeastern U.S. and originates through WMNF-FM

in Tampa,FL. For listeners in the Tampa, Florida area, it is heard Mondays

at 7:00pm on WMNF 88.5. If you like bluegrass music or have an interest

in the original sound of country music, don’t miss "This

is Bluegrass". The broadcasts include the best in bluegrass and

country music and will always feature: something old, something new,

something borrowed and something blue.

The Bluegrass Parlor Band started as a result of Tom’s desire

to help keep the bluegrass tradition alive. In 1983, Tom was to play

a country music show held at the Tampa Theatre and he thought it would

be a great idea to form a band with some of the youngsters that came

to his Bluegrass Parlor to kick off the show. When 11 year old banjo

player David McMillian walked out on stage, "the crowd went nuts"

and the Bluegrass Parlor Band was born.

From 1980 until 2005 Tom had been owner/operator of The Bluegrass Parlor,

a store located in Tampa, Florida. The Parlor has been a place for great

deals on musical instruments and hard to find bluegrass musical recordings.

The Bluegrass Parlor is also a place to go for some good old bluegrass

jams held every Thursday night at 8:00pm. Bluegrass music lovers and

musicians worldwide have visited the Bluegrass Parlor. In 2005 Tom sold

the Bluegrass Parlor to longtime associate Jeff Jones. Tom is still

involved in the store, he still works a few days a week and still hosts

the weekley jam session, but has turned over day to day operations to

Jeff.

As a result of Tom Henderson’s dedication to the great sound

of bluegrass; in 1988, Tom received the International Bluegrass Music

Association Certificate of Merit, an honor given to legends like Bill

Monroe and Earl Scruggs. Tom’s dedication to the preservation

of bluegrass music is greatly appreciated by all who love the sound

of the original country music - - bluegrass.Â

TomH@WMNF.org