“International Ambassador for Bluegrass” Who Helped Spark an American Music Tradition Dead at 95

Bill Clifton, born William August Marburg, has died aged 95. A singer and promoter of bluegrass, he helped bring the traditional American genre to wider audiences and supported its survival across generations.

Clifton died peacefully on 30 October; no cause of death was given. In 1961, he organised an event at Oak Leaf Park in Virginia, widely recognised as the first bluegrass festival in the United States, and later helped organise and promote the Newport Folk Festival. He was inducted into the Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame and worked as a musician, collector, publisher and festival organiser.