Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Unveils First Round Of 2024 Artists 

The first artist medley of the season has been decoded and San Francisco’s Hardly Strictly Bluegrass has officially announced its initial round of 2024 artists including Alice Gerrard, Bobby Rush, The Bones of J.R. Jones and a special performance in honor of the 50th anniversary of Big Star’s Radio City album.

The beloved Hardly Strictly Bluegrass will return to San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park Oct. 4-6, once again offering free admission.

Fruition, Glen Hansard, Greensky Bluegrass, Haley Heynderickx, Robyn Hitchcock and The Wood Brothers are also on board.

The “Big Star’s Radio City 50th Anniversary” set will feature Jody Stephens (Big Star), Mike Mills (R.E.M.), Chris Stamey (The dB’s), Jon Auer (The Posies), Pat Sansome (Wilco).

Hardly Strictly devotees will note the significance of the Alice Gerrard booking as Gerrard formerly performed with Hazel Dickens as the bluegrass duo Hazel and Alice — and Dickens was one of the first artists that festival founder Warren Hellman insisted on booking when the festival was launched in 2001. Bay Citizen reported that although Dickens was initially “quite conflicted” about performing, Dickens told fellow bluegrass musician Ron Thomason of Dry Branch Fire Squad that “Hellman said he wouldn’t do the festival without her. Not only did she agree to perform the first year but she appeared every year after that until her death in April 2011.”

The San Francisco Chronicle reports that Hardly Strictly is honoring longtime operations producer Greg Wynn, who died in March, by renaming the intersection of JFK Drive between the Rooster Stage and Arrow Meadow as “Wynn’s Crossing.”

Hardly Strictly Executive Producer Sheri Sternberg told the Chronicle that the spot was where Wynn “spent a lot of time monitoring traffic flow to ensure the best possible experience for everyone, so it seems fitting.”

Stay tuned for more performers to be announced in August and early September.

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Qs With: Sheri Sternberg, Executive Producer Of Hardly Strictly Bluegrass