The Women in Bluegrass Archive Project

The archival portion of this project will provide public access to an educational resource that was previously endangered of being lost. The archive of interviews and peer-to-peer community support of women interviewing other women within the bluegrass scene will be an educational resource to those hoping to continue gender equity efforts.

Women In Bluegrass (1994 - 2003), the historic newsletter created by Murphy Henry, will be reserved and made accessible in one centralized, online location. The archive captures candid conversations, accomplishments, and challenges of women in bluegrass—providing rare insight into gender dynamics in the genre. Included are those of Laurie Lewis, Gloria Belle, Betty Fisher and more! This once-private resource will be made available to everyone—students, researchers, musicians, and fans—at no cost, forever. This collection is vital to our history as members of the bluegrass community. Each newsletter has been carefully scanned in high resolution and transcribed into searchable, fully indexed text for ease of study and citation. To bring attention to the archive, we will be continuing Henry’s work by way of the 8-part podcast based on the archive, called Don’t Call Me Darlin’, that will revisit the subjects of the newsletter, as well as contemporary musicians in the genre. 

Don’t Call Me Darlin’ will tell untold stories from the Women in Bluegrass newsletter, highlighting women’s experiences in a male-dominated genre. The 8-part series will feature new interviews connecting past newsletter contributors with today’s leading women in bluegrass. The podcast is sourced from and will bring attention to the public digital archive of Murphy Henry’s historic Women in Bluegrass newsletters. The series will initiate timely conversations about gender, tradition, and equity in music through storytelling and reflection by talking with matriarchs of and contemporary musicians within the genre.