Author: Richard Thompson

The song Atlanta Is Burning is based in part on an event during the American Civil War. It was written by Aubrey Holt of the Boys from Indiana, a band that Holt along with his uncle, Harley Gabbard formed in

Multi-award-winning bluegrass band, the Grascals, will perform at the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of the American Indian on Monday, January 21st, at 7:00 p.m., for a celebration of the Inauguration of the President of the United States, Barack Obama. The Native

On this day ….. On this day 50 years ago, January 19, 1963, the Lester Flatt & Earl Scruggs' recording of the Ballad of Jed Clampett topped the Billboard Hot Country singles charts. The song spent 20 weeks on the charts and

Those who have listened regularly to the Ray Davis show or are familiar with some of the Plum Pitiful recordings that have been released down through the years will be familiar with the name Scott Brannon, a regular in Davis’s

The February edition of Acoustic Guitar magazine is now available from news stores. The main attraction is the cover story of much-vaunted Mumford And Sons, described by the magazine as Chart-Topping Folk-Rockers, but embraced as well by bluegrass fans who inhabit

Among the pre-Christmas releases is The Road Has No End (MC 1212), the latest album from Minnesota-based quintet Monroe Crossing. It’s their thirteenth CD – equating to one album per year since their formation in 2000. Not wanting to push their

Bass player Bob Schacht passed away at his home in Flagstaff on December 30, 2012. He was 69 years old. Born September 18, 1943, in Racine, Wisconsin, Robert Marshall Schacht was the second of five children. His was a musical family

Silence Or Tears was composed by a veteran of the North Carolina bluegrass scene, mandolin player Jerry Stuart, and the highly-esteemed bass player Tom Gray, of Country Gentlemen fame. However, its origins go back two centuries to the life-time of British

On this day in 1923 …… January 10, 1923, Curly Ray Cline was born. Had he lived, the extrovert Curly Ray Cline would have been 90 years old today. Born in Pike County, Kentucky, Cline was inspired to play the fiddle by hearing

After over 100 Jam Camps in America, Pete Wernick (aka Dr Banjo), has organised his first bluegrass Jam Camp in Europe. Pete's first all-Europe bluegrass Jam Camp is scheduled to take place in Prague, Czech Republic, over three days; March 22-24,