Sally Ann Forrester Scholarship
Organizations / Associations
The Sally Ann Forrester Scholarship is a $1,000 college scholarship for a female bluegrass musician, awarded each fall semester by the IBMA Foundation. It honors Sally Ann Forrester, born Wilene Russell, who played accordion with Bill Monroe and the Blue Grass Boys from 1943 to 1946 and is known as the first woman in bluegrass. Her accordion is featured on Monroe's 1945 Columbia recordings, including "Kentucky Waltz" and "Blue Grass Special." The current scholarship's initial funding came from banjoist Murphy Hicks Henry, author of Pretty Good for a Girl: Women in Bluegrass, who originated the original private scholarship in the early 2000s.