Lilly of the West
Bands / Ensembles
Lilly of the West (1996–) is a Bulgarian bluegrass band founded and led by singer, songwriter, and guitarist Lilly Drumeva. Drumeva took up bluegrass while living in Austria and formed the band on returning to Bulgaria, naming it after herself and the idea that, to Bulgarian audiences, she had come from the West. In 1998 the band won a bluegrass band competition at the European World of Bluegrass and was subsequently named European Bluegrass Band of the Year, after which it began touring Europe. The band writes most of its own material but includes a traditional Bulgarian song, arranged as bluegrass, on each album. It has toured the United States several times, including appearances at IBMA's World of Bluegrass, and released its tenth album, Swings & Heartaches, around 2013. Bluegrass Today describes the band as the only bluegrass band in Bulgaria.
In the newsletter
- No. 16 Fall 1998