Daviess County may now be home to the Guinness World Record for the biggest bluegrass band thanks to the more than 500 people of all ages that gathered to play and sing “Will the Circle Be Unbroken?” in Yellow Creek Park on Saturday. Documentation of the event will be sent to Guinness, but it could take several months to hear if the record is official.
Watch a video of the attempt here. The crowd also sang an a capella version of “Amazing Grace.”
The attempt took place at Jim Lambert Pioneer Village in Yellow Creek Park as part of John Lanham Jam Day. The full-day event was held for the second year and was organized by brothers Randy and Barry Lanham in honor of their grandfather, the late John Lanham.
The Lanhams hoped 250 people would join the world record attempt and ended up getting double that. In the minutes before the attempt, Randy Lanham was told 493 people were participating, so he put out a last-minute call for a few more people who were already at the Jam Day.
“I did not know what to expect earlier in the day. Whoever showed up, I was gonna be happy with,” he said. “When we reached that 493 mark, I thought ‘this is incredible,’ and they were still coming in. I’m so excited with the turnout.”
Lanham said there were strict guidelines they had to follow — such as having witnesses, signatures, and video cameras — for the record attempt to count. All the documentation is being sent to Guinness, but Lanham said it could take 6-8 months before he finds out if the record is official.
Daviess County Judge-Executive Charlie Castlen was among the participants. He was eager to join the effort and thankful for the Lanhams’ efforts.
“I’m thrilled that Randy put this together,” Castlen said. “We hail ourselves as the Bluegrass Capital of the World. To have this kind of in our hip pocket to say we also hold the world record for the largest bluegrass band certified in Guinness, I think that’s a cool thing to add on.”
Lanham said potentially setting a world record was exciting, but the meaning behind the effort is what he really cares about.
“This festival is in honor of my granddad John Lanham,” he said. “I grew up listening to him play. He taught me to play. I started when I was 11 years old. The old-time music, the gospel music, the bluegrass music, I grew up playing that. It’s always been a family thing. It’s always been very much shared with the younger generation. He told me a thousand times in my life to pass this music. And I got to see probably at least 100 of my former students here today playing in this group. So that makes me proud to know that I’m carrying on his legend of music.
Lanham was also proud to be able to help raise money for three local shelters. Money raised through donations at the Jam Day went to My Sister’s Keeper, Crossroads, and St. Benedict’s Day Shelter for Women.
