#86 Bob Perilla and Ira Gitlin, Bluegrass musicians

Both Bob and Ira have been smitten by bluegrass music most of their lives. Bob's band Big Hillbilly Bluegrass played a regular gig at Madam's Organ in DC for about 20 years, and through that made a connection that led to invites from State Department public affairs offices at various foreign missions. They eventually brought their bluegrass music to over 30 countries in Africa and Asia. Bob says, "You can make friends with music, that's the bottom line." They made deep emotional connections through music on every day of their tours. They played their music at numerous events in myriad venues and usually, local groups also played, and they often shared songs, finding common ground. The response to American Bluegrass music was uniformly positive. "There is almost a human genetic response to Foggy Mountain Breakdown," Bob says. Ira wasn't on all the tours but said he remembers playing with some amazing musicians in the Republic of Congo, and he also played for pygmies in the Central African Republic. Bob's favorite country was the Republic of Georgia, where he says the people "gather spontaneously and sing songs in hugely resonant voices that are one thousand years old." Bob also says, "We saw demonstrations of commonality almost incessantly" during the tour, and that "We were far more effective at creating good will among people than any platoon of military men."