Author: Chris Stuart

We all know the story of how bluegrass came to Ireland—how Bill Monroe banished the dreadful snakes and taught three-part harmony with a shamrock. While some may doubt the accuracy of this account, none can dispute the fact that in the

Guest Artist Quiz and Prizes This month’s guest artist is the rajah of the resophonic guitar, Rob Ickes. At an early age, Rob was kidnapped by pirates who left him on an island off the coast of California with nothing but

March Madness, to me, doesn’t mean basketball. Rather, it’s the perennial delusion that just by showing up in Peoria, Arizona, and running a few wind-sprints, the San Diego Padres are guaranteed in seven months to be spraying champagne over themselves after

I hope when I’m 80 years old I can say what Pete Goble said to me on the phone the other day: “I’m writing more songs now than I ever did in my life and I think I’m writing better songs.” I

Tweets in Response to Steve Martin's Blatant Attempt to Increase Public Awareness of Bluegrass Grammy #bluegrassgrammyattackads Steve Martin claims to be illegitimate son of Jimmy Martin. Nope, says Jimmy in Skype session from beyond. #bluegrassgrammyattackads Steve Martin mispronounces “banjo” on Letterman. No,

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

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

Dear Mr. Blue Grass Smarty Pants, How come you didn’t call this column Blue Yodel #13? Did you skip a number? —Lucky 13 Dear Lucky 13, Yes, I made that mistake once in high school when I took number 13 on the baseball team

This year, I mean it. No more abandoning resolutions to learn the fiddle or write a song every week. No more good intentions turned into shovel-ready projects to hell. No more orgy of self-loathing with two guys named Ben &

A new tradition launches here at Bluegrass Today: Chris Stuart's Holiday Poem. Enjoy our 2011 year-in-review, or click below and listen to Chris read it aloud.   Dear friends out in the blogosphere, I hope a link has brought you here, To read and