Author: Richard Thompson

From the moment they picked up the radio signal of Bill Monroe's mandolin, Texans have been enamoured with this uniquely American style of music. But the high lonesome sound couldn't have put down roots without a tradition of mentorship that

Mark Kuykendall and Bobby Hicks; Mark Kuykendall photo © LuAnn Adams Noted bluegrass multi-instrumentalist and singer Mark Kuykendall, age 60, passed away on June 19, 2023. He had been unwell for many years, plagued with a variety of illnesses, including diabetes and

Margie Sullivan, The First Lady of Bluegrass Gospel Music, so named by Bill Monroe, and matriarch of the famed Sullivan Family Gospel Singers, passed away on May 31, 2023, at age 90.  Margie Louise Brewster Sullivan was born January 22, 1933,

Retired WSM Grand Ole Opry photographer extraordinaire Les Leverett passed away on June 2, 2023. He was 96 years old.  Leverett took some of the most historical images in country music history, with his photographs adorning over 200 album covers, winning

Buddy Mason Griffin is a notable West Virginia banjo and fiddle player who has demonstrated his talents on stages extending from Wheeling's Jamboree USA (WWVA) to Branson, Missouri, and the Grand Ole Opry. This weekend, he will be inducted into the

One very attractive feature of the Bluegrass in La Roche weekend is its street festival, where bands play free concerts on the terraces of the bars and restaurants around the La Roche-sur-Foron town center, at the foot of the French

The former editor-in-chief of the bluegrass-orientated magazine, Pickin', Don Kissil, passed away on May 18, 2023.  He was 89 years old.  A familiar face at so many festivals since the 1960s, he had been taking pictures of bluegrass musicians, some of

Here is how producer Chris Eaton described the genesis of the forthcoming CD, The UK & Ireland Dobro Celebration.  "In November 2022 I visited Nashville to attend Reso Summit Slide Fest. This experience inspired me to try and bring together some

Earlier this month we mentioned the 10th annual Kazuhiro Inaba Bluegrass Camp (aka KazCamp 2023), which took place on May 6.  Kazuhiro Inaba, who organizes these festivals has now shared some pictures – some still and some moving – capturing some

Gloria Belle, a powerful second-generation bluegrass vocalist and instrumentalist, probably best known for stints with Jimmy Martin, passed away on May 5, 2023. She was 84 years of age. Known early on as the Pennsylvania Sunshine Girl, she was probably the first