News Release

Bill Grant to receive Governor's Arts Award

Nov. 6, 2007

FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT:
Ann Dee Lee
Public Information Director
Oklahoma Arts Council
(405) 521-2931
anndee@arts.ok.gov

Oklahoma City, OK – Bill Grant, Hugo, will be honored by Governor Brad Henry at the 32nd Annual Governor’s Arts Awards. Grant will receive a Special Recognition Award for his contributions to bluegrass music and his efforts to share the beauty, adventure and culture of our state.

Sponsored by the Oklahoma Arts Council, 16 individuals and four organizations will be honored for their contributions to the arts in their communities or throughout the state. The ceremony is scheduled for 4:00 p.m., Wednesday, November 28th in the 4th Floor Rotunda of the State Capitol and is open to the public. Presiding at the ceremony will be Council Chair Jim Tolbert and Interim Executive Director Suzanne Tate.

Grant is known for his inimitable singing style, unique mandolin playing and skill as a songwriter. He was the founder of Oklahoma’s annual Bluegrass Festival in Hugo, Oklahoma, the area in which he was born and raised. Music contests at the festival had such Oklahoma talents grace their stage as Vince Gill, Ricky Skaggs and Byron Berline. While part of the singing group, Kiamichi Mountain Boys, Grant founded the Kiamichi label in 1971. During his long career in bluegrass music, he has recorded 30 albums, performed in seven countries and 34 states.   

He is a member of the American Old Time Country Music Hall of Fame and was recognized by the Oklahoma Legislature as an Ambassador of Oklahoma and Bluegrass Music. In 2006, Grant received the Distinguished Achievement Award from Nashville’s International Bluegrass Music Association.

A reception on the first floor of the Capitol will follow the 4 p.m. ceremony.  A complete list of Governor’s Arts Awards recipients and their photos are available at www.arts.ok.gov. For more information about the Governor’s Arts Awards, please contact Ann Dee Lee at (405) 521-2931 or at anndee@arts.ok.gov.

ABOUT THE OKLAHOMA ARTS COUNCIL

The Oklahoma Arts Council is a state agency whose mission is to improve lives through the arts by promoting and sustaining the development of a thriving arts environment, which is essential to quality of life, education and economic vitality for all Oklahomans.

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