On This Day ………… On February 6, 1961, Dale Reno was born in Roanoke, Virginia. The second son of banjo ace Don Reno, Dale Reno fell in love with musical instruments at the tender age of ten. Initially he built his first
10 years
SPBGMA ’14 in the rearview
I'd just like to go on record as saying that I love the SPBGMA weekend in Nashville, and this past weekend's event was another good one. There's really a lot to love, from the obscure acronym (understood only by insiders), to
Sirius XM cuts go beyond bluegrass
Sirius XM management's decision to cancel most shifts for acclaimed Bluegrass Junction DJ Chris Jones is part of a broader plan to eliminate hosts from some of its music channels. In addition to ending Jones' weekday shifts, the satellite radio giant
SPBGMA 2014 report
Here's our Special Bluegrass Correspondent with a look at day one at SPBGMA.
Pinecastle to release lost Osborne Brothers’ recordings
The Osborne Brothers were one of the most influential bands in bluegrass history. They're one of only a handful of bluegrass bands whose music transcended bluegrass and found mainstream success in the larger country music world. With twenty-one singles on the
L.W. Lambert passes
North Carolina banjo player L.W. Lambert passed away on January 23, 2014, at his home in Olin. He was 87 years old and his health had been declining for a while. Luin Wilford Lambert, Jr was born April 18, 1926, in
Kip Martin, RIP
The last time I talked to Kip Martin on the phone, we were trying to figure out how to get an Epiphone upright bass from my music room in the DC suburbs into his hands near Nashville. Kip was feeling good,
Pete Seeger passes
Pete Seeger, known to the world variously as a utopian idealist, a communist propagandist, a union agitator, a passionate environmentalist, or a folksinger, died last night. He was 94 years old. To fans of the banjo, however, he will always be
Saturday videos: Melody Williamson and Deadly Gentlemen
Here's a pair of fun videos from this week. The first is from Melody Williamson, who sings with her family group, Williamson Brach. It's a song she wrote called There's No Country Here, which while more country than bluegrass, expresses an
Two new Heritage Collection CDs from Rural Rhythm
Rural Rhythm Records has announced two new albums in their Heritage Collection series, bringing to six the number of re-releases from their deep catalog of bluegrass and old time music. The Legendary J.E. Mainer, Volume 3 was originally released in 1968,