Author: Richard Thompson

On this day …..  On the Sunday evening of May 25, 1958, the New Lost City Ramblers (NLCR) played a half hour set on John Dildine's weekly folk music radio show on Washington, DC’s WASH-FM radio station, thus making their first

One of early Country music’s most flamboyant characters was Uncle Dave Macon, born David Harrison Macon, but better-known as "The Dixie Dewdrop." Known for his chin whiskers, plug hat, gold teeth and gates-ajar collar - old-time banjo player, singer, songwriter and

Few American artists influenced the development of bluegrass harmony as thoroughly and completely as The Blue Sky Boys. Earl and Bill Bolick performed together for 40 years, applying their church-style singing to both sacred and secular material, leaving a mark

Legendary singer/songwriter Peter Rowan and Italian bluegrass band Red Wine have linked up to play some prestigious dates in Europe this month. This working relationship goes back about 20 years as Red Wine’s banjo player Silvio Ferretti recollects …… "First time we

Mountaineer Opry House, the local hot spot for bluegrass music in the Huntington/Charleston area, has announced it will close its curtains for the last time this season.  After more than 45 years the Mountaineer Opry House in Milton, West Virginia, near

Reflections of Love was written by Paul Adkins, Fred Travers and Ron Pennington, the last two being part of the Borderline Band led by Adkins.  As the trio worked together beginning 1988 or 1989 there were plenty of opportunities for them

It’s been over 30 years since Bluegrass: A History by Neil V Rosenberg was published; in it he covers bluegrass music up to about 1983. Other authors have made contributions that document bluegrass music in different ways; they include Barry

It is quite common knowledge that Grateful Dead psychedelic guitar-playing icon Jerry Garcia was in his youth a follower of folk and bluegrass music.  A recent (August 2016) release, The Hart Valley Drifters’ Folk Time was described as a “Nice find”

The Pennsylvania Historical & Museum Commission has approved the placement of a marker at Sunset Park, the site of the famed country and bluegrass music park in Chester County, Pennsylvania, in recognition of its historical significance.   Sunset Park was built in

After well over 15 years of research, fact-checking, and writing, the publication date for the long-awaited Bill Monroe biography by Tom Ewing is now known - September 30, 2018.  Ewing was a Blue Grass Boy, playing guitar and singing the lead