Robert ‘Bob’ George French Sr., bluegrass banjo player and country music entertainer, passed away peacefully on Saturday morning, August 20, 2016, after a long illness. He was 86 years old. French was born on April 23, 1930, in West Acton, Massachusetts,
Fans of the Virginia Squires will be pleased to know that Rickie and Ronnie Simpkins, Sammy Shelor and Mark Newton will share a stage once more. The bluegrass bad boys from the '90s are set to ride again - for one
Notable banjo player and distinguished baritone singer Freeman D. “Don” Parmley passed away on July 30, 2016, after experiencing complications related to Alzheimer’s disease. Parmley was born on October 19, 1933, in Monticello, Kentucky. As a 12-year-old he began learning claw-hammer/drop thumb
On this day 20 years ago Bill Monroe passed away. On September 9, 1996, Bill Monroe, the acknowledged Father of Bluegrass Music, passed away. Today we remember the date as a few members of the bluegrass music community, young and not so
Larry E. Jefferson, aged 73, passed away on Saturday, August 27, 2016, at the Rainey Hospice House, Anderson, South Carolina. He was born in Anderson on November 27, 1942. Jefferson played mandolin in several bluegrass bands including Randall Collins, Curtis Blackwell &
Enquiries about a Larry Sparks album from any era is certain to be met with a response indicating that it is certainly of very good vintage. Now Sparks has released on his own Sparks label an album entitled Vintage, a 10
This is fun series in which we ask bluegrass music personalities, some famous, some not so famous, about some of their interests as well as about the music that they love. There’s more to former mandolin player and tenor vocalist
As previously reported, James King, known by his nickname The Bluegrass Storyteller, passed away on May 19, 2016, after a long battle with liver disease. He was 57 years of age. Songs such as Bed by the Window, Echo Mountain, Coldest
The legendary bluegrass music listening venue in Alexandria, Virginia, The Birchmere, passed its 50th anniversary on April 4. Initially, the bar, with a capacity of between 150 and 200 seats, was located in Shirlington – just down the highway from the
The Martin Dreadnought guitar. It has been said that it has changed the face of popular music. Hank Williams had one (the 1941 D-28 now owned by Neil Young), Bill Monroe had one, so did Gene Autry, Doc Watson, Jerry Garcia,
