Miscellaneous bluegrass news

We just heard from our friend Russ Jordan with a list of the winners of the 2006 RenoFest competition. RenoFest Guitar Contest: 1. Steve Lewis 2. Seth Taylor 3. Randy Lucas 4. Chris Hale 5. Matt Lindsey RenoFest Banjo Contest: 1. Eric Hardin 2. Seth Taylor 3.

Carl Thomas Smith: 1938-2006 We share the sadness and loss felt at the passing of Carl Thomas Smith, who was killed in an accident at his home late last week. His contributions to bluegrass were huge, as he sired and encouraged

Wichita Rutherford just wrote to tell me that the Van Heffer Video that he podcast recently has been chosen for competition in the 37th Nashville Film Festival presented by Regal Cinemas. Wichita tells me that he's not even sure how

What a great week for Lou - his son, Sean and his wife Stephanie had a little girl yesterday morning, March 24th, 2006. They named the baby Jaime Lynn Pyrtle and she weighed 6 lbs, 6 1/2 ounces. Congratulations

Here's another opportunity for you to enjoy some great bluegrass while also enjoying a cruise, and this one is to Alaska! The Bluegrass Cruise to Alaska is put together by Cottage Music and features all the normal cruise activities along

Kentucky Bluebird is the title of a new film project about to get underway, based on the life and frustratingly brief career of bluegrass/country star Keith Whitley. Keith made his presence felt in bluegrass from the early 1970s, when he

Chris Davis, mandolinist with Larry Cordle & Lonesome Standard Time, and his wife Rhonda are celebrating the birth of their son. The LST web site reports that mother and child are at home, and doing fine. A baby picture is

A number of bluegrass artists are up for awards from the Academy Of Country Music when they are presented on May 23. Rob Ickes (dobro) and Bryan Sutton (guitar) are nominated in the Top Specialty Instrument Player of the Year

Bluegrass music has often been described as a "team sport," referring to the need for the many musicians to work collectively in pursuit of a common goal. Bands whose members support each other's artistry rather than seeking to highlight their

The Lynn Morris Band website has some photos of Lynn at last month's SPBGMA Convention in Nashville, where she both performed with the band and accepted the 2006 Grand Masters Gold Award. This award is given to artists who have