Mr. Bill Grant's Bluegrass Festival - Hugo, OK

The bluegrass festival in the first week of Aug. in Hugo Ok. had it's on personality among festivals, a capsule of good people brought together by the love of old time music. It must have been around the year 1980 when my dad Hub and I started out on an early Saturday morning toward Hugo not knowing exactly where Grant's Bluegrass Festival was or how the bluegrass style of music would change our lives. We found not only the festival grounds but a large group of people that came to be some of our best life long friends. People that care more about the people on the old rustic stage at Hugo than the people on the big stages around the world. We sat there and saw people like Joe Stuart sing the Eastern Gate. Emmitt Suliivan, Josh Graves and many bluegrass entertainers let the sounds of those acoustic instruments ring up the hill through the trees in Salt Creek Park with vocal harmonies like I had never heard. As I sat there overwhelmed by the music and the friendly people I decided that if I had a dream it would be to be to play that music and it would be special if I could do it right there on that very stage. The following morning I called my brother and dad and had them meet me at the local music store and we all bought bluegrass instruments. From there the festival at Hugo became our home on the first week of August for many years to come. We would take our camper on or around July 4th and each weekend we would be there to jam with the people as they brought their campers in up until the festival started. My wife Anna and I have memories of so many good people that we could hardly wait to see each year. As I think about it, all of the members of The Hard 2 Git Bluegrass Band have the Hugo festival as a common link. Sam and Reva were there camping with us through the whole thing. We met Stuart there and became good friends as we jammed together each year. When we needed a banjo player for Hard 2 Git, I called Stuart just from that past friendship. He has been with the band from day one. Boyd won the banjo contest in the late seventies, which was a great accomplishment.

People came from all over the world to compete in the instrument and band contests at Hugo. Can you believe that our dobro player is one of the best banjo players in the world. What does that say about our banjo player? As time and experience went by, we formed our own bluegrass band Simply Gospel, which was made up of my brother Danny Martin, James Roberts, Van Barton, Joe Worley and myself. James Roberts wife, Linda, joined the band in the later years. Mr. Bill Grant booked us on the Hugo festival in 1988, 1989, 1990, and 1991. The Hard 2 Git Bluegrass Band played the festival in its last year around 2005. Salt Creek Park holds a special place in the memories of all of us who were able to be a part of those times, where friends were made for a lifetime through the love of bluegrass music. James Martin