Honors and Acknowledges

Honors Bill has received include: 

• Nominated for The National Heritage Award in 2006

• Now a Member of the Appalachian Cultural Music Association

• He is a Kentucky Colonel, an honor bestowed on Bill for all his contributions to bluegrass music.

• Salt River Bluegrass Festival in Michigan inducted him into their Hall of Fame.

• His life history was printed in the international magazine Bluegrass Unlimited.

• Numerous plaques, certificates, etc. for his humanitarian efforts 

• Humanitarian work for Marquardt Corporation in L.A for one year which included playing a lot of music for veterans.

• Early in Bill’s career he won several pickin’ contests. 

• Southern California Old Time Music Festival at Topanga in 1957 Bill took first place in old time banjo, singing, and all around musician.

• In 1958 he won first place in The California Old Time Banjo Contest. (took place in L.A.)

• Many years later in 1983 Bill entered the flat top pickin’ contest in Galax, Va.and took first place.

• Bill didn’t enter any more contests for a long time.  He just concentrated on his band and traveled all over the country playing bluegrass festivals, performing at well over a thousand different music events.  He never entered his band in any contests; it was not something they were interested in.  They felt well-established and got all the work they wanted without any titles.

• After moving to South Carolina Bill slowed down but people gradually learned who he was and asked him to judge music contests, and he did.  After doing that for awhile he entered a few at Hagood Mill in Pickens, SC and won second place in the guitar category several times.