SPBGMA
Festivals / Events
The Society for the Preservation of Bluegrass Music of America (SPBGMA), founded in Missouri in 1974, is a nonprofit festival organization that runs contests such as the International Band Championship in Nashville (since 1984) and at times published a national festival guide and band directory. SPBGMA claims to be the first group to formally define bluegrass by instrumentation (mandolin, guitar, 5-string banjo, bass, with optional fiddle and Dobro). SPBGMA has its own Hall of Fame and from 1980–2001 it hosted the National Fiddlers Convention & Championship.