Meet the instructors!

10 Time IBMA Award Winner - Becky Buller

Becky Buller is a multi-instrumentalist, singer/songwriter from St. James, MN, who has traversed the globe performing bluegrass music to underwrite her insatiable songwriting habit.

Becky has written songs for three Grammy award-winning albums: she co-wrote “Freedom,” the lead-off track of The Infamous Stringdusters’ Laws of Gravity (2018 Best Bluegrass Grammy); “The Shaker” on The Travelin’ McCourys self-titled release (2019 Best Bluegrass Grammy) and “Good-bye Girl” on Molly Tuttle & Golden Highway’s Crooked Tree album (2023 Best Bluegrass Grammy). Becky’s compositions can also be heard on records by Ricky Skaggs, Rhonda Vincent and Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver and many others.

Becky is the recipient of 10 International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA) awards, including the 2016 Fiddler and Female Vocalist. She is the first woman in the history of the awards to receive the Fiddler nod; she is also the first person ever to win in both vocal and instrumental categories. Her other awards include the 2020 Collaborative Recording for “The Barber’s Fiddle” and the 2020 Song for co-writing and fiddling on Special Consensus’ “Chicago Barn Dance.”

Ed Snodderly is a songwriter, singer and guitar picker, following in the footsteps of songsters as varied as A. P. Carter to Riley Puckett to Ray Davies. In 2020 Ed was awarded a lifetime achievement award, presented to him from SERFA (Southeastern Region of Folk Alliance) for his contributions to southern folk music. Ed is co-founder of The Down Home, a world renowned music venue in Johnson City, Tennessee, which opened its door in 1976. The Down Home is an intimate listening room that has played host to countless acts in bluegrass, folk, old-time and blues music and been recognized for its eclecticism by numerous publications, including the New York Times.

You’ve most likely seen Ed Snodderly on the silver screen as the Village Idiot in the Coen Brothers’ “O Brother, Where Art Thou?”

Songwriter/Teacher/Actor - Ed Snodderly

***Scholarships***

If you know of a high school student who would benefit by participating in this event but can't afford to, a limited number of youth scholarships may be available. Please contact Charlsey Etheridge at cohuttasongfest@yahoo.com

Workshop Descriptions

Session 1:

Writing Epic Story Songs With Becky Buller

Becky has always loved spinning a good yarn with her own songwriting. In this session, she'll discuss some of her favorite story songs with you, how they are crafted and why they speak to her. She also aims for you to leave with the start of your own next ballad in hand.

Session 2:

Master Class With Becky Buller

Becky invites you to bring two or three songs you're working on to share with her and the class. She will cheer you on as she offers suggestions on how to take your compositions to the next level. Names will be drawn at random and Becky will get to as many writers as possible in the time allotted. Not up for sharing one of your songs? Please feel free to attend anyway! Something said during the session may prove beneficial to your own writing.

Get your favorite pencil or pen and paper and we will spend time together writing and sharing ideas.

I’ll be providing participants with prompts to complete with one or perhaps four lines; along with doing some timed object writing. Alll in getting the creative juices flowing.

Discussion about our sense of place, what’s important to us, to you to write and sing about in this modern and old world.

This workshop is open for all interested in the art of songwriting whether you are just curious or that you’ve invested for a long time in the world

of making songs. As well as, you are already out and about in your community singing your songs.

Please bring if you like a song your own to share for constructive, positive critique.

(Note ) please bring 10 copies of the lyrics.

This workshop is all about the creative and routine of songwriting, not much on the business.

Remember imagination, observation and creative urge.