IBMA Foundation supporter Pete Wernick, of Niwot, Colorado, is known for his role (and rolls on the banjo) in the legendary band, Hot Rize. A long-time fan favorite with songs that have become standards in the genre, Hot Rize was inducted into IBMA’s Bluegrass Hall of Fame in 2025. Pete was the first president of IBMA during the organization’s first 15 years. As the founder of Wernick Jam Camps, he is one of the most hard-working and vocal proponents of bluegrass music education. Most bluegrass fans and musicians believe that bluegrass music can make the world a better place. Pete’s Wernick Method network of over 100 teachers (LetsPick.org) makes that happen every day by teaching closet pickers to jam comfortably in small group settings across the nation and around the world. Check out his many educational resources at www.drbanjo.com. The donor spotlight is on Pete “Dr. Banjo” today.
Q: How did you first get interested in bluegrass music, and what is your current role in the bluegrass music industry/community?
A: I got into playing folk music with my friends in the Bronx in my early teens, and one of them played me a record of Earl Scruggs. That turned my head around. Then I saw Flatt & Scruggs several times and Jim and Jesse and thought bluegrass was the coolest music. I started hanging out with bluegrass musicians and in college ended up with a bluegrass radio show. I went to the first bluegrass festival when I was 19 and got to see the founding fathers close up and interview some of them. Bluegrass became a force in my life. In my 20s I started making records and wrote two successful instruction books, and it all steered me into a life of bluegrass. Being in Hot Rize 12 years full-time and then many more years after that was beyond my fondest dreams. I started doing banjo camps over 40 years ago, and now I do jam camps and oversee the Wernick Method network of bluegrass jamming teachers nationwide and overseas. So, I’ve stayed involved in bluegrass. I’m what I call a lifer!
Q: Why do you choose to support the IBMA Foundation, and why would you suggest that others do so?
A: I’ve been part of IBMA since the first year, and I care a lot about bluegrass and the people. The Foundation is all about nourishing the musicians of tomorrow so that bluegrass can grow in its goodness and appreciation. I like how the Foundation honors early bluegrass contributors with scholarships in their names. I think anyone who cares about bluegrass as a great musical style and a wonderfully positive community would want to support the Foundation’s work.
RETURN to the February 2026 issue of The Cornerstone.
Recent Comments