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Summary
Popular American folk music group Big Hillbilly Bluegrass are touring Africa for the first time. The first stop on the tour was the capital of Togo, where an enthusiastic crowd at the University of Lome cheered for them.The band consists of musicians Bob Perilla, on guitar, Ira Gitlin, who plays the banjo, Tad Marks who plays the violin, Merl Johnson who plays the mandolin and Mike Marceau on bass.The five band members are on a month long tour of the continent as part of a programme to promote cultural exchange between the US and Africa. The group has been making music and entertaining fans for over 12 years, on three continents. Bluegrass music combines the different genres of country and folk music.On their first stop in Togo the band already established fan base, especially with the older generation, but managed to gain new young fans as well. After Togo, Big Hillbilly Bluegrass will tour Benin, the Central African Republic Congo and Mauritania.
