Author: John Lawless

Though parole had been consistently denied for 40 years, today John A. Brown, convicted in the 1973 murder of Dave "Stringbean" Akeman and his wife Estelle, was granted parole and is set for release from the Tennessee prison system. His initial

Wren Elise Livers, the first child of Nathan Livers, mandolinist with Michael Cleveland & Flamekeeper and his wife Steffani, was born in the wee hours of this morning. She came in at 5 lbs 9 ozs, and 20 '' long, born at 1:31 a.m. Everyone is

Randall Deaton and Lonesome Day Records have announced the launch of a new label imprint to be known as Dry Lightning Records. Its purpose is specifically to offer their non-bluegrass projects a separate brand identity in the market. At the same

Blake Johnson, bassist and vocalist with Russell Moore & IIIrd Tyme Out, has been hospitalized this past two weeks, suffering from a rare blood infection. But he says that he is feeling much better and is looking forward to being

During the IBMA's World of Bluegrass and Wide Open Bluegrass festival, we had the chance to interview many of the top artists and songwriters in our business. Among them was Michael Cleveland, a highly-respected fiddler and bandleader, who shared some

Summer McMahan, the talented young vocalist and fiddler with Mountain Faith, spoke with us during IBMA week about their upcoming album, a secular project for Mountain Fever.  

Among the acts I was most eager to meet during IBMA's big week in Raleigh were The Church Sisters, Savannah and Sarah, from Galax, VA. These 18 year old twins sing with a purity and beauty that is something to

Though the actual birthdate was marked earlier this Summer, the City of Sparta, TN is throwing a free music festival tomorrow (10/11) to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Lester Flatt's birth. Lester called Sparta his home during his music career, and

Karl Shiflett has announced that David Long has returned to play mandolin with The Big Country Show. Long has a well-earned reputation as a master of traditional and early bluegrass mandolin styles, and is resuming a position with Karl he

As we all knew they would, someone recorded Béla Fleck's Keynote Address to the 2014 IBMA World of Bluegrass Business Conference, and posted it online. It's a good, clear recording and Béla's remarks should be of interest to anyone who