Author: John Curtis Goad

For many bluegrassers, especially those of the older generations, the name Camp Springs is synonymous with festivals. With Carlton Haney at the helm, it was the place to be on Labor Day weekend throughout the 1970s. After several decades with

Merle Monroe made a huge splash in the bluegrass world back in 2019 with the release of their debut album, Back to the Country. With a great, fresh sound mixing bluegrass and classic country, guided by Tim Raybon's clear vocals

Mount Airy Bluegrass & Old Time Fiddlers Convention - photo by Mark T Brown Some of the most cherished traditions for bluegrass pickers, particularly in the Appalachian region, are the annual fiddlers' conventions that take place throughout the spring and summer

It had been over three years since I had the opportunity to see Larry Sparks live, when I attended his concert at Meadowgreen Music Park in Clay City, KY, last weekend. Let me tell you – that’s just too long.

Enduring 50 years as a professional bluegrass musician is an incredible accomplishment. Not many pickers or singers can say that they have truly made bluegrass their life's work, but among those who can is Terry Baucom. Baucom celebrated his golden

There's plenty to like on Starry Southern Nights, the debut album from New England-based group, Rock Hearts. Though the record comes in a little light at only eight tracks, the band packs lots of traditional-sounding bluegrass into those numbers, ranging from

Like many other music venues across the country, the COVID-19 pandemic left Meadowgreen Appalachian Music Park in limbo. The park, which generally runs a concert series throughout the winter in its barn-like music hall near Clay City, KY, had to

Joe Mullins & the Radio Ramblers is one of the most consistent bands in bluegrass music. Whenever they release an album, you know exactly what you're going to get – top-tier, traditional-leaning bluegrass, powered by Mullins's solid banjo and supported

When you're a legendary banjo player and have accumulated a whole room full of spare banjo parts over the years, what do you do? Well, if you're Sonny Osborne, you fool around and put them together until you have a

I'm always intrigued by an all-original bluegrass album. We have a strong tradition in bluegrass of recycling older material – lyrics, melody lines, whole songs, etc. – so it's interesting to see what fresh ideas today's songwriters are coming up