Formal organization of the BBU
Legally, the Boston Bluegrass Union completed and signed a set of by-laws as a not-for-profit organization on March 11, 1977. The officers listed were:
- Stanley B. Zdonik of Arlington as President
- Kenneth Shay of Somerville as Treasurer
- Susan Bartholomew of Watertown as Clerk
The physical address provided was 50 Frost Street in Cambridge, the residence of the fourth member of the Board of Directors, Richard S. Brown IV. This was, of course, mandolin player Richie Brown. He and Stan were the more active leaders among the officers. The 50 Frost Street address was the home Richie and Margaret Gerteis shared. Richie and Margaret were both in the band Apple Country at the time.
There were, of course, a number of meetings before the first concerts and before the incorporation. Margaret recalls meeting with Michael Melford regarding the task of officially incorporating as a non-profit.
The Articles of Incorporation were signed on April 25, 1977 by Paul Guzzi, Secretary of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Attorney (and mandolin player) Mike Melford of Cambridge assisted with the preparation and filing of the documents.
It is remarkable that in writing this brief history, every one of the original directors remained living and was interviewed during the year 2025: Stan Zdonik, Ken Shay, Susan Bartholomew, and Richie Brown.
Description of the March 19, 1978, the BBU show at the church next to Cambridge Common gave a feeling for a typical event of the time:
“Last Sunday, more than 200 people heard Ted Lundy, Bob Paisley & the Southern Mountain Boys in an intimate setting with young children piggybacked atop their fathers, and friends and musicians casually sipping coffee and punch. ‘Bluegrass is not electrified and it’s the only good music left,’ said Wilfred Lemarie, a night watchman who had come down from Methuen. ‘This proves there’s a viable alternative to Kiss and Atomic Rooster,’ added Stu Marx, a teletype operator.
“The afternoon was a series of rituals. The milling of people around racks of albums being sold by Rounder Records; the milling around an instrument display by Sandy’s Music Store in Cambridge; and the relaxed lingering for the ‘pickin’ party’ where veteran local musicians like Bob and Grace French played informally in one corner; Eric Levenson, Bela Fleck, and Richard Brown were in another.”24
Footnotes –
- Steve Morse, “Boston Bluegrass – Southern mountain music strikes a chord in rock-conscious Hub,” Boston Globe, March 23, 1978: 64. Both Eric’s and Bela’s names were misspelled in the column.