This remembrance of popular Washington, DC radio personality Jerry Gray is a contribution from Bill Foster with the DC Bluegrass Union. Jerry Gray (nee Gerald Ralph Poulsen) passed away on February 2, 2012. Jerry and his wife Kay lived in Hardy, VA near Roanoke, VA. Jerry [...]
Here’s a gallery of photos taken at SPBMGA 2012 by Valerie Gabehart.
This past weekend at the Music City Sheraton in Nashville, TN, the Society for the Preservation of Blue Grass Music in America (SPBGMA, pronounced “spigma”), held its 38th Annual Convention & Awards. This convention is a multi-faceted event comprised of performances, vendor exhibits, a band [...]
We reported over the weekend that banjo legend J.D. Crowe was taken ill during a show Friday night, and had to leave the stage. Fortunately for the audience and the band, Josh Williams was in the house, and hopped up to take over banjo duties [...]
Thanks to Gena Britt for this run down of who took home trophies at last night’s SPBGMA Awards in Nashville. The awards are chosen by the general public, based on a printed ballot published in Bluegrass Unlimited each year. The organization does not post eligibility guidelines, [...]
This remembrance of popular Washington, DC radio personality Jerry Gray is a contribution from Bill Foster with the DC Bluegrass Union. Jerry Gray (nee Gerald Ralph Poulsen) passed away on February 2, 2012. Jerry and his wife Kay lived in Hardy, VA near Roanoke, VA. Jerry [...]
The Carter Brothers never rest… or so it would seem. Fresh off the release of their The Road To Roosky album on Compass, the boys have already tracked another project, again with an Irish/American vibe. Tim Carter, the banjo-playing half of the team tells us about [...]
It has long been a practice in bluegrass music to give country songs a grassy feel. One band who did this as well as anyone had the privilege of seeing one of their original tunes on the receiving end of a country recording. Patty Loveless’ [...]
Noted North Carolina banjo picker and celebrated luthier Snuffy Smith has passed away. Professional banjo players, serious amateurs and banjo aficionados of every stripe had long trusted Snuffy for all sorts of set up and repair. Many more who never met him in person have [...]
Side projects are becoming more and more common in the bluegrass world. Sometimes it’s a solo project from a member of an established band; other times it’s an all-star effort involving a bevy of popular artists. But sometimes it’s an actual band, who perform irregularly, [...]
We reported over the weekend that banjo legend J.D. Crowe was taken ill during a show Friday night, and had to leave the stage. Fortunately for the audience and the band, Josh Williams was in the house, and hopped up to take over banjo duties [...]
Friday night at the Station Inn in Nashville, J. D. Crowe became ill and was unable to finish the show. According to New South guitarist Ricky Wasson, Crowe was recovering from a recent bout with pneumonia, and probably overexerted himself. Fortunately, consummate multi-instrumentalist Josh Williams was [...]
We reported last month that a suit had been brought against The Grascals by Entertainment Evolution, a company managed by Nashville publicist Kirt Webster. At the time, the band offered no comment on the merits of the suit. Now, a countersuit has been filed by [...]
James Alan Shelton, long-time guitarist with Ralph Stanley & the Clinch Mountain Boys, has spent the past two days in the hospital in Kingsport, TN after suffering a mini-stroke at home. He is scheduled to be released today. According to Stanley, James fell to the [...]
Australia’s Davidson Brothers have picked up another major award, the 2012 Golden Guitar for Instrumental of the Year at the Jayco CMAA Country Music Awards of Australia. The trophy came for the smokin’ bluegrass tune, OMFG, from their 2011 album Here To Stay. Have a listen… OMFG: [...]
This past weekend at the Music City Sheraton in Nashville, TN, the Society for the Preservation of Blue Grass Music in America (SPBGMA, pronounced “spigma”), held its 38th Annual Convention & Awards. This convention is a multi-faceted event comprised of performances, vendor exhibits, a band [...]
Another benefit concert has been scheduled in Knoxville for Phil Leadbetter, who continues to undergo treatment for a very stubborn cancer that has been try resistant to common therapies. Phil has dedicated his life to bluegrass music, working in turn as resonator guitarist for such notable [...]
When one door shuts, another opens. Or so it would seem judging by this statement yesterday from Lorraine Jordan & Carolina Road. It is great regret that we, Carolina Road, have to announce cancellation of the Carolina Road Homecoming Bluegrass Festival, which was held annually [...]
The bluegrass stars were aligned, and in the audience, for the CD release party for new Americana/bluegrass duo Stetson & Cia last night. It all took place at the Hard Rock Café in Nashville, TN, and was streamed live via The Acousticana Journal website. Many [...]
Thanks to Gena Britt for this run down of who took home trophies at last night’s SPBGMA Awards in Nashville. The awards are chosen by the general public, based on a printed ballot published in Bluegrass Unlimited each year. The organization does not post eligibility guidelines, [...]
This weekend, Nashville will host the annual convention of the Society for the Preservation of Bluegrass Music in America, which goes by the tongue numbing acronym, SPBGMA (spigma). Like the Fall convention hosted by the International Bluegrass Music Association, SPBGMA holds an awards show and [...]
Tablet is an online magazine for Jewish readers that covers a wide range of issues, with arts reporting found side-by-side with articles on religion and politics. The online magazine also sponsors a podcast side, Vox Tablet, with audio coverage of these same topics. This week’s [...]
We heard yesterday from Red Line Studios, the folks creating the upcoming Dave Evans documentary film, Last of the Breed: The Dave Evans Story. Work on the film is well underway, which will cover Dave’s rough and tumble life from childhood up through the present day. [...]
Tonight’s (2/1) edition of Music City Roots is bluegrass, bluegrass, bluegrass. Scheduled to perform this evening from the Loveless Barn in Nashville are Lonesome River Band, Chris Jones & the Nightdrivers, Darin & Brooke Aldridge, Special Consensus and Darrell Scott. Jim Lauderdale will host the [...]
We start a new feature this week with 20 Questions. When I write biographical articles on bluegrass stars I have to ask predictable questions, which means I usually get predictable answers. For this feature, I ask questions the artist may not have expected. You’re welcome [...]
Quite some time ago (I think it was just after the breakup of Flatt & Scruggs and the Beatles) I made a list of the important things that any new bluegrass band needs to accomplish to get off to a good start. For review, here [...]
The NAMM (National Association of Music Merchandisers) Show is held less than a mile from Disneyland. One is a commercial shrine to prepubescent entertainment and sensory overload. The other is a theme park. Or, maybe I should say the NAMM Show is Disneyland without the [...]
I’ve devoted the previous several columns to the subject of band self-management. There won’t be many more, I promise, because let’s face it: all this management gets tiring after a while. Sometimes you just want to go play the show. Let’s review just a little [...]
We’ve written many times about the magnificent work done by Darrel and Phyllis Adkins at their annual Musicians Against Childhood Cancer festival in Ohio. Top bluegrass acts make the trip each summer and perform at no charge, with proceeds from the festival being donated to St. Jude [...]
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I caught up yesterday with Adam Steffey, who filled me in on the two biggest events in his life these days. Make that three! His twin sons, Riley and A.P., are occupying much of his energy, but he’s also been carving out time to work [...]
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Lee Marcus is the fine young banjo player with Wayne Taylor & Appaloosa, and starting a few weeks ago, an occasional correspondent for Bluegrass Today. He also has a solo project available, Grandpa’s Pond, released in 2011, which he is using to help raise funds [...]
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Banjo master Jim Mills is the subject of a short documentary piece produced by UNC-TV, the public television service at the University of North Carolina. The video starts with a musical biography on Mills, covering his early discovery of the banjo through his time with [...]
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While the phrase “du jour” may be familiar to coffee house goers and soup connoisseurs, it may be one that much of the bluegrass world encounters only rarely, especially where their music is concerned. However, there is at least one group of artists who are [...]
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