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Photo of Steve Sutton by Ted Lehmann Well-known North Carolina banjo player Steve Sutton passed away unexpectedly yesterday at home in Waynesville, NC. He was 61 years of age. Steve had been through multiple surgeries on his neck and spine in the

As reported earlier, Wade Mainer, one of traditional music’s most durable practitioners, passed away on September 12 after a short illness. Born on April 21, 1907 in Weaverville, North Carolina, he was one half of the famous Mainer Brothers, with the

Rebel Records has released a debut single from Lost Souls and Free Spirits, the upcoming compilation "plus" project from Chris Jones & The Night Drivers. The single is Final Farewell, written by Chris and his long-times bassist, Jon Weisberger. It's one

Lonesome River Band leader Sammy Shelor has been announced as the 2011 recipient of the Steve Martin Prize for Excellence in Banjo and Bluegrass Music. The award is in recognition of Sammy's high level of musicianship, and the impact he has

The first thing you need to know about Lil John’s Mountain Music Festival, in Snow Camp, NC is... direction is key. If you are not familiar with the many turns required to get there you will need to allow some

Less than a year after announcing his return to active performing, David Parmley has a new recording of sacred music to share with his many fans. Church House Hymns, Vol. II was recorded with his road band, Continental Divide, and features

Anytime you learn that Chris Thile is involved with a new project, you can expect it to be fun-filled and unbounded. Seeing Edgar Meyer and Stuart Duncan in the lineup suggests an interesting push/pull between the bluegrass, classical and new

The Bluegrass Blog provided extensive coverage yesterday of the August 17 press conference announcing nominations for the 2011 IBMA Awards. If you want to see and read it all, just follow these handy links: Complete list of nominees Press conference report Photos from the

This tender recollection of fiddle great Kenny Baker is a contribution from Blaine Sprouse, himself a noted fiddler with wide experience in the bluegrass world. When I was about eight years old, I had been playing guitar for a couple of

This remembrance of Tony Pass is a contribution from David E. Schenkman, proprietor of Turtle Hill Banjo Co., and one of Tony's dear friends in the banjo community. Last Tuesday (7/26) Linda Pass called to give me the sad news that