Author: David Morris

David Morris accepts his Writer of the Year award at the 2019 IBMA Industry Awards - photo © Tara Linhardt With another successful IBMA World of Bluegrass in the books in Raleigh, it’s time to look back at some of the

The last time Alison Brown gave the keynote address at the annual gathering of the International Bluegrass Music Association, in 2002, CD sales accounted for 96 percent of music industry revenue, women were a relative rarity in bands and the

Alani Sugar with Che Apalache and friends at the Hill Center in Washington, DC - photo by David Morris I saw the future of bluegrass the other night, just a few blocks from the nation’s Capitol. It was in the form of

It’s no secret to regular readers that the Gettysburg Bluegrass Festival is one of my two favorite stops of the year, the other being IBMA’s World of Bluegrass in Raleigh every fall. The festival is just an hour from home, features

Ryan Paisley with Rhonda Vincent at the 2019 Gettysburg Bluegrass Festival - photo by Frank Baker The first time I saw Ryan Paisley on stage, I thought it was a gimmick. A cute gimmick, but a gimmick nonetheless. It was 2011, at

Rearrange My Heart, the astonishing new CD from Che Apalache, is as challenging as it is creative. It challenges assumptions, sometimes head on, sometimes more abstractly. But it does so to an inventive soundtrack, fueled by fiddle and banjo parts

Dick Laird, whose 60-year run in bluegrass included a stint with Jimmy Martin, died Monday at his home in West York, PA. He was just two weeks short of his 75th birthday. He had been undergoing treatment for cancer. “It’s just devasting.

The list of nominations for major awards that will be presented this fall at IBMA’s World Of Bluegrass in Raleigh won’t please everybody. That itself speaks volumes about the state of bluegrass in all its iterations. There is great talent

For a while Thursday, social media was buzzing with an intriguing prospect: That Flatt Lonesome had shifted gears and decided not to come off the road to focus on family life. Alas, the exit strategy is still in place, but Flatt

Eileen Carson Schatz always knew how to throw a party. The one she planned for Monday was one those fortunate enough to attend will talk about for years to come. Eileen died last Wednesday. In her final days, her body ravaged