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
Author: Richard Thompson
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Peter Rowan in Europe with Red Wine
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
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Mountaineer Opry House in WV soon to close
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
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The Story Behind the Song – Reflections of Love
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
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Bluegrass, Newgrass, Old-Time, and Americana Music
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
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Jerry Garcia – Before the Dead: a preview
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”
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Sunset Park designated a Pennsylvania landmark
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
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Bill Monroe – The Blue Grass Man in September
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
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James Reams celebrates 25 years with a video
“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.” Aristotle James Reams is celebrating his 25th anniversary as a bluegrass band leader in 2018. To mark the occasion, he has collaborated with MediaSmith in the
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Stoney Mae single drops for Deanie Richardson
Today’s single release, the 9th in the 11 weeks of new singles program by Pinecastle Records, is Deanie Richardson’s Stoney Mae, a song written by Richardson and Bill Tennyson. Richardson says this about how the song came to be and what