Author: John Lawless

Missy Raines has been a fixture on the bluegrass and acoustic music scene for most of her life. I first met her (and husband, Ben Surratt) in the early 1980s when she was performing as a member of Cloud Valley,

Starting next week (2/14), the live bluegrass radio series Bluegrass Underground will move to a weekly, Saturday evening slot on WSM AM 650 from Nashville. The new time is 6:00-7:00 p.m. (ET), just ahead of the Saturday Grand Ole Opry broadcast. Live

We told you a few weeks ago about the Marathon Jam scheduled for January 31 to benefit Fisher House, an organization that provides housing for families of wounded American servicemen and women receiving treatment at military hospitals. The jam was scheduled

Runaway Freight, from College Grove, TN, are set to release their new CD on March 6. Hillbilly Bailout - The Recession Tapes, uses the theme of hard times for the art and liners, the song choices, and the production/marketing approach. To

We just learned of the passing of Phil Mann, a great friend to the banjo community and an early pioneer of online bluegrass resources. He died on January 23, 2009 after being ill for some time. Phil's web site, www.bluegrassbanjo.org, was

Steal The Blue, the seventh recording from Canadian fiddler/vocalist April Verch, was released independently on January 20. Verch has been known for some time for her fiery fiddle playing - winning her multiple championships - and her energetic live performances, which

Alan Bibey tells us that Grasstowne is hoping to have copies of their second Pinecastle project, The Other Side Of Towne, available at shows by the end of March, even though the official release date isn't until June. A first single,

We heard recently from Steve Fishell, director of the Music Producers Institute, with word about their next studio clinic. The session will feature Sam Bush, who will spend three days with the class to record and mix new songs -

Yesterday's (2 /9) Grammy Award for Best Bluegrass Album went to Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder for Honoring The Fathers of Bluegrass: Tribute to 1946 and 1947. Congratulations to Ricky and the boys! Alison Krauss and Robert Plant won 5 Grammies for

Audio from Blue Highway's recent radio performance on Mountain Stage can now be accessed at NPR.com. They included selections from several of their critically-acclaimed recordings, offering a fine taste of their live show for the Mountain Stage audience. Through the Window of