Okay – I must admit, as much as I love country music, the bluegrass genre is probably my favorite. I’ve played it for years and always get a pick-me-up when I’m around great bluegrass musicians.

Recently, I discovered a fiddle prodigy who is turning heads in her part of the world and beyond. Mackenzie Bell, of Ohio County, Ky., has been involved in this musical genre for many of her 13 years and is quickly becoming one of the most accomplished fiddle players of anyone her age – or otherwise.

“I was always interested in music to begin with because I have always had a good musically-based family,” she said.

With that family foundation, Bell said being involved in music was all she has ever wanted to do. “I started playing at the age of 8 and since then, I knew this is what I wanted to do my whole life. It’s what makes me feel confident.”

And being at the epicenter of the bluegrass world, her choice seemed natural, fortifying her passion for a kind of music born in the Commonwealth.

Ohio County is home to the “Father of Bluegrass” Bill Monroe, and down the road, in Owensboro, is the Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame & Museum, where Bell spends a lot of time perfecting her craft. Not only does this venue pay homage to bluegrass and its pioneers, but provides a place to take lessons.

It’s something Bell has taken advantage of, learning from her mentor and the museum’s education director, Randy Lanham. “One thing I found out quickly about Mackenzie is that she is driven,” he said. “Week after week she he would come in and I was like, ‘Wow.’ She wants this and she has worked really hard.”

Lanham added it didn’t take him long to realize what Bell has is a God-given talent. “She is just one of the best students that I've ever had, and at only 13 years old, she is already getting attention all over the world. I mean, they're playing her songs on radio stations in other countries.”

Bell has already recorded multiple CDs and has taken every opportunity she can to get in front of audiences and play with some of the best bluegrass musicians in the business. But she is a traditionalist in a world where many in this genre are taking a more modern path to stardom.

“Most of the young people that I know that play this kind of music are wanting to do something more modern, but I want to keep that traditional bluegrass alive,” she said.

Bell feels if the more traditional bluegrass style of music isn’t played and nurtured, it will eventually go away, and she seems intent on doing all she can to keep that from happening. In doing so, she has discovered the value in giving back to the industry as well, often taking her talents to local nursing homes to play for residents.

“It's fun for me to play and see people smile, and it really helps to know that if somebody's having a rough time it may help them lighten the load. It just makes me feel really proud,” she said.

Bell loves to play in front of an audience, whether it is at the local nursing home or in front of a big crowd. She said in stepping on stage, she becomes a completely different person.

“When I was younger, I was always shy and never wanted to talk to anybody. But they say the second I stand on stage, I’m completely different. And it makes me really happy to be able to play because fiddling is my dream and my life.”

If the success she is having so far is any indication, her dreams are definitely coming true.

Bluegrass Johnson comes from a long line of country music performers and enjoys a passion for the rhythm and melody. From the hills of Kentucky, he will offer his opinions on a variety of music. Readers with questions or comments may write to Johnson in care of this publication.