• Rodgers Remembrance Vol X: Jimmie’s Texas Blues

    This week we are going to once again remember the life and times of America’s Blue Yodeler, the Singing Brakeman, and the Father of Country Music: the late, great Jimmie Rodgers. On Sunday, May 26, Jimmie Rodgers will have been gone 80 years. Arguably the [...]

    Rodgers Remembrance Vol X: Jimmie’s Texas Blues
    | May 24, 2013 | 0 Comments
  • A new take on Dueling Banjos

    Anyone who’s played even a little bit of banjo has heard repeated requests for Dueling Banjos – even when playing by themselves. The tune was initially recorded as Fuedin’ Banjos, a duet between a tenor and 5 string banjo, by author Arthur Smith and Don Reno [...]

    A new take on Dueling Banjos
    | May 24, 2013 | 1 Comment
  • Long Road Home – Back To Dixieland

    What’s more retro than a vinyl 45? Long Road Home, the quintet formed in 2005 by Martin Gilmore (guitar) and Justin Hoffenberg (fiddle), and now additionally consisting of Pete Wernick (banjo), Jordan Ramsey (mandolin) and Andrew Bonnis on bass, has announced the release of a [...]

    Long Road Home – Back To Dixieland
    | May 24, 2013 | 0 Comments
  • Bill Monroe painting on Kentucky Monthly

    Despite living much of his life in Tennessee, Bill Monroe will always be inextricably linked with Kentucky, the state of his birth, whose nickname serves as the designation for the music he created. He is being remembered anew in the June issue of Kentucky Monthly, [...]

    Bill Monroe painting on Kentucky Monthly
    | May 23, 2013 | 0 Comments
  • Rodgers Remembrance Vol IX: Any Old Time

    This week we are going to once again remember the life and times of America’s Blue Yodeler, the Singing Brakeman, and the Father of Country Music: the late, great Jimmie Rodgers. On Saturday, May 26, Jimmie Rodgers will have been gone 80 years. Arguably the [...]

    Rodgers Remembrance Vol IX: Any Old Time
    | May 23, 2013 | 0 Comments

Latest Bluegrass Music News

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Long Road Home – Back To Dixieland

What’s more retro than a vinyl 45? Long Road Home, the quintet formed in 2005 by Martin Gilmore (guitar) and Justin Hoffenberg (fiddle), and now additionally consisting of Pete Wernick (banjo), Jordan Ramsey (mandolin) and Andrew Bonnis on bass, has announced the release of a [...]

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Roger Smith passes

Former Blue Grass Boy, Roger Smith of Milton, Indiana passed away Wednesday, May 22 at Reid Hospital in Richmond, Indiana. He was 86 years old. Born in Amelia, VA July 11, 1926, Roger grew up in North Carolina and started learning guitar, and later fiddle and banjo, as [...]

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Larry Sparks at 50

We caught up recently with the legendary Larry Sparks to get an update on his next album, a celebration of his 50th year performing in bluegrass music. It is expected to be released on Rebel Records in the latter part of 2013. Like 40, his previous milestone [...]

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New representation for Dailey & Vincent, Sleepy Man Banjo Boys

A pair of bluegrass acts on opposite ends of the stardom spectrum have announced new representation this week. Dailey & Vincent can plainly be described as superstars in bluegrass music, with album sales, awards, and touring success to back it up. Sleepy Man Banjo Boys [...]

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Clay Hess has seen the light

I Saw The Light is the name of the first single from The Clay Hess Band’s upcoming debut CD. And no, it’s not another cover of the Hank Williams classic. It’s a new song from Craig Market and Wayne Winkle, in which the narrator has [...]

Bluegrass At Large

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Rodgers Remembrance Vol X: Jimmie’s Texas Blues

This week we are going to once again remember the life and times of America’s Blue Yodeler, the Singing Brakeman, and the Father of Country Music: the late, great Jimmie Rodgers. On Sunday, May 26, Jimmie Rodgers will have been gone 80 years. Arguably the [...]

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Rodgers Remembrance Vol IX: Any Old Time

This week we are going to once again remember the life and times of America’s Blue Yodeler, the Singing Brakeman, and the Father of Country Music: the late, great Jimmie Rodgers. On Saturday, May 26, Jimmie Rodgers will have been gone 80 years. Arguably the [...]

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Rodgers Remembrance Vol VIII: My Rough And Rowdy Ways

This week we are going to once again remember the life and times of America’s Blue Yodeler, the Singing Brakeman, and the Father of Country Music: the late, great Jimmie Rodgers. On Sunday, May 26, Jimmie Rodgers will have been gone 80 years. Arguably the [...]

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Rodgers Remembrance Vol VII: Waiting For A Train

This week we are going to once again remember the life and times of America’s Blue Yodeler, the Singing Brakeman, and the Father of Country Music: the late, great Jimmie Rodgers. On Saturday, May 26, Jimmie Rodgers will have been gone 80 years. Arguably the [...]

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Bluegrass in Ireland moved to Facebook

With the retirement of Richard Hawkins, originator and manager of The Bluegrass Ireland Blog, the task of keeping the enthusiastic Irish bluegrass scene informed online has fallen to Ray O’Brien, who keeps things up to date with the Bluegrass In Ireland Facebook group. Ray invites everyone [...]

Bluegrass in the Media

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A new take on Dueling Banjos

Anyone who’s played even a little bit of banjo has heard repeated requests for Dueling Banjos – even when playing by themselves. The tune was initially recorded as Fuedin’ Banjos, a duet between a tenor and 5 string banjo, by author Arthur Smith and Don Reno [...]

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Bill Monroe painting on Kentucky Monthly

Despite living much of his life in Tennessee, Bill Monroe will always be inextricably linked with Kentucky, the state of his birth, whose nickname serves as the designation for the music he created. He is being remembered anew in the June issue of Kentucky Monthly, [...]

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Standing By Your Side from Mustered Courage

Aussie grassers Mustered Courage are using the occasion of their new CD, Powerlines, to release a music video for the opening track, Standing By Your Side. They employ a clever concept, with the band members posing as colorful street characters who accost passersby in a [...]

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WSM live compilation includes McCoury, Grascals cuts

The legendary WSM AM 650 in Nashville, home of the Grand Ole Opry since 1925, has assembled a compilation album of live performances broadcast on the station over the last few years. Live From The Archives, Vol. 1 is set for a June 25 release. [...]

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Nuts and Bolts of Songwriting by Niall Toner

Irish songwriter Niall Toner has written a book about his chosen profession, set for a June 8 launch at The Borris House Festival of Writing and Ideas, held during the Carlow Arts Festival in County Carlow, in the southeast of Ireland. The Nuts and Bolts of [...]

Latest Events News

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Friday at Gettysburg ’13

Here is another set of Frank Baker’s images from the 2013 Spring Gettysburg Bluegrass Festival.  

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Thursday at Gettysburg

Frank Baker has once again shot for us at the 2013 Spring Gettysburg Bluegrass Festival. Here is a gallery of his photos from Thursday, May 16.  

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Gibson Brothers begin new tour with guests on mandolin

This report on The Gibson Brothers in Old Forge, NY is our first from Andy Flynn, assistant managing editor of Denton Publications. We hope to receive more from him going forward.  The Gibson Brothers are maintaining world-class caliber performances this spring while promoting their newest album [...]

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Bluegrass Album Band in Sevierville

Mike Kelly was kind enough to send a few of the photos he shot on Saturday when the Bluegrass Album Band and some loyal fans braved the rain for a reunion show at the Bloomin’ Barbeque & Bluegrass Festival. The weather was wet and drizzly [...]

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Jon Glik fiddlin’ in Tokyo

We heard this week from Kaz Inaba, who shared some photos and a few words about a show this week in Tokyo where he welcomed famed Maryland-based fiddler Jon Glik to the stage. “A few days ago, on May 14, my band, Kazuhiro Inaba & [...]

Opinion & Humor

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It’s enough to give you the Willies

A Bluegrass Junction listener—we’ll call her “Laura” (because that was her name)—emailed me recently, pointing out that there are an awful lot of bluegrass songs in which women are murdered. After much thought and reflection, I gave her this subtly nuanced answer: “Yes.” I’ve never [...]

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Potato… patahto

Is it “Mon-ROE” or “MUN-roe”? Is how we pronounce bluegrass names important? It probably is, yet it’s not always as simple as it might seem. Do we pronounce people’s names the way they would pronounce them themselves, or do we just say those names the [...]

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Spargel… get your Spargel!

I’m on a flight across North America right now, the second of three legs of my trip home from our recent European tour. This seemed like a good time to write this column, because for one thing the deadline is almost here, and for another, [...]

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German phrasebook for the touring musician

Greetings from Prague, in the Czech Republic, where our European tour is starting this week. Before I go on to much less serious and important subjects, I want to acknowledge a big loss in bluegrass music, especially for northeastern bluegrass fans: Bob Mavian passed away [...]

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National Record Store Day coming up on April 20th

I walked into the store, and even though I was the only one in there, I saw a thousand faces staring back at me. The glare of the cellophane made it hard to see, but I liked it. By not having Blu-ray players and plasma [...]

Recent Bluegrass Today News

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Shady Green from Edgar Loudermilk

| May 21, 2013 | 3 Comments

Mountain Fever has a new single today from an upcoming album by IIIrd Tyme Out bassist/vocalist Edgar Loudermilk. Edgar will remain a big part of IIIrd Tyme Out’s success, and records side projects to highlight his lead singing and songwriting prowess. Each of the tracks [...]

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Happy news from Jayd Raines

| May 21, 2013 | 0 Comments

When we reported last week that Randy Barnes was taking over on bass with Marty Raybon, we wondered what had become of Jayd Raines, who had just joined the band earlier this year. We caught up with him over the weekend, and discovered that he [...]

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New single from Mark Houser

| May 20, 2013 | 0 Comments

Mark Houser is releasing a new single to radio on Tuesday. It’s the title track to his 2012 Rural Rhythm album, Uneven Road, which we reviewed earlier this year. This appealing singer and songwriter is supported here by A-list pickers. Cory Walker played banjo, Barry [...]

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Reborn – Mark Newton & Steve Thomas

| May 20, 2013 | 0 Comments

Every now and then, two artists come together and form a collaboration that fans are sure to remember for years to come. With their debut release, Reborn, Mark Newton and Steve Thomas have likely earned themselves a spot in that category. This twelve-song collection is [...]

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Story Behind the Song – Crossing the Bar

| May 20, 2013 | 1 Comment

Alfred, Lord Tennyson wrote Crossing the Bar in 1889, three years before he died. The poem describes his placid and accepting attitude toward death. Although he followed this work with subsequent poems, he requested that Crossing the Bar appear as the final poem in all [...]

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