• Bluegrass Christmas in the Smokies wrap-up

    Country Gentlemen Tribute Band at Bluegrass Christmas in the Smokies - photo © Bill Warren "What a wonderful weekend. It's the social event of the year," promoter Lorraine Jordan said at the close of her 2023 edition of Bluegrass Christmas in

  • Wyatt Ellis debuts on his own at The Opry

    Wyatt Ellis on the Grand Ole Opry (11/10/23) - photo by Nathan Leslie Wyatt Ellis, 14-year-old mandolin prodigy, made his artist debut on the Grand Ole Opry on Friday night last week. Only a small number of performers such as Dolly

  • Gordy Nichol passes

    Gordy Nichol with Louisa Branscomb and Pamm Gadd Henry Gordon "Gordy" Nichol, 60, of Chattanooga, TN, passed away on November 1. Born in Nashville, he was a well-known musician playing upright bass and steel guitar. His sudden death has deeply impacted

  • Nathan Orange to Last Hour Bluegrass

    Central North Carolina bluegrass gospel group and Morning Glory recording artists, Last Hour Bluegrass, welcomes their newest member, mandolinist Nathan Orange, to the band. A fourth generation musician, Orange resides in Mount Airy, NC.  On joining the band, Nathan shared... "I'm thankful

  • Shep – a special gift for Brandon Shuping

    Brandon Shuping with Glenda Martin Fuller when he picked up Shep The late Charles "Speedy" Shepherd was musician and luthier from Salisbury, NC. He primarily built fiddles, but once and only once, he made a mandolin. It was a more difficult

  • Buddy McNeill passes

    James "Buddy" McNeill, 88, upright bass player, passed away on October 22. The Seagrove, NC native had performed in numerous area bluegrass bands over the past 40 years (1980-2020). Many musicians start playing an instrument in their youth, but Buddy didn't take