Following the World of Bluegrass Convention in Nashville, Tenn., the region will kick off this new bluegrass marketing campaign by becoming the new title sponsor for Into the Blue, the nation's leading syndicated bluegrass music radio show currently broadcast on more than 200 stations nationwide. The show is also broadcast on WSM radio in Nashville, as well as on Sirius Satellite Radio.

This portion of western Kentucky is the birthplace of the father of bluegrass music, Bill Monroe, where his childhood home in Rosine was recently restored to its original state. Located a few miles away in Owensboro is the International Bluegrass Music Museum, an institution created to honor the past history as well as teach future generations about bluegrass music.

In addition to Bill Monroe, several additional musical stylists claim the western Kentucky region as their homeplace, including W.C. Handy, the Everly Brothers, John Prine and Merle Travis—making the area "holy ground" for bluegrass, blues and thumbpicking guitar fans all over the world. In addition to music, the area is known for excellent barbecue cooking, with large festivals, competitions and well-known restaurants.

Nine Kentucky counties make up the Bluegrass, Blues & Barbecue region, and although specific plans are still in the discussion phase, all counties have eventual plans to expand on current activities by adding newer and bigger festivals in addition to events and attractions featuring bluegrass music for guests from all over the world.

For further info on the new initiative or details on the Bluegrass, Blues & Barbecue region of western Kentucky, go to www.bbbregion.com or www.bbbregion.org.

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