Violet Vonder Haar believes in music. She was born 22 years ago on the banks of Splice Creek nestled in the river hills near the tiny Missouri River town of Lupus (pop. 29). Nurtured in the thriving folk community of Central Missouri, she has been performing for area audiences since she was tall enough to reach a mike. As a child, she was inspired to influence people to environmental causes through song, and over the years she has lent her voice to churches, benefits, peace ralliesand any venue to make a better world.

Violet has always written her own music and released her debut album “Shades Of Violet” at the age of 16. In 2009 she was voted “Best Female Solo Musician” by InsideColumbia Magazine.

Whether playing in a quiet coffeehouse on a Friday, wowing the rockers in a Pink Floyd cover band on Saturday, inspiring the congregation on Sunday morning or teaching fifth-graders to write folk songs about bugs on Monday, Violet lives for the music. As her audience continues to grow, she proves herself to be a versatile and talented presence on the music scene. Violet believes in music.

I was born in England, but I grew up in Montreal and Vancouver, Canada, and then in Canberra, Australia. My family returned “home” to England when I was ten years old, but I was already an Aussie at heart, in love with radio and the old American country songs, and the old convict songs from Botany Bay, based on the same songs and Scots-Irish fiddle tunes as the songs and tunes at the root of bluegrass music.

When I arrived in the States in 1986, I was thrilled to find KOPN Community Radio in Columbia, Missouri, where they had some phenomenal bluegrass shows on Saturday and Sunday. And since 1987, I’ve been hosting the “High Lonesome Sound” on KOPN Radio on Sunday nights. I go by the name of B.G. Brown, that’s B.G. for Blue Grass.

And I’ve been playing bluegrass music on the guitar (mandolin, bass, or fiddle) since I was twelve.

Tune in to KOPN at 9 PM on a Sunday night to hear the very best of bluegrass music, local and national, traditional and not so traditional, only on KOPN Radio, 89.5 FM, your local community radio station. For comments and requests you can email B.G. at BGBrownKOPN@gmail.com.