Sam Stout, President & Coordinator of the Smithville Fiddlers Jamboree and Shan Williams, Director of Marketing for the festival, present Ronnie Reno with the Blue Blaze Award. Photo courtesy of Dwayne Page/WJLE Bluegrass icon Ronnie Reno stepped on the stage of the 48th Annual
Ask Sonny Anything is a recurring feature where our readers pose questions to the great Sonny Osborne, one half of the iconic Osborne Brothers who redefined bluegrass music in the 1960s, and noted banjo maven and collector of fine prewar
Jesse McReynolds was born on July 9th, 1929 in Coeburn, Virginia. The country was facing the great depression, and southwest Virginia was no exception to the hardship faced by many at the time. As was the case throughout several moments
Another beautiful summer bluegrass wedding! On June 29, John Meyer and Kourtney Teubel were married on Kourtney's family's farm near Peoria, IL, where she grew up. The weather cooperated and gave them a lovely day for an outdoor wedding. John is well
Veteran bluegrass guitarist Jeff Autry suffered a stroke a week ago, and while he has recovered some function since, he still has reduced facility on the right side of his body. He is recovering now at his home in Georgia. For
Phil Leadbetter, award-winning bluegrass reso-guitarist and everybody's favorite Uncle Phil, has been hospitalized in Knoxville following some fairly baffling symptoms this week. Doctors have been keeping a close eye on Phil of late as he is in stage 4 kidney
Congratulations to Todd Phillips, bass player with Appalachian Road Show, and his wife Sandra, who are celebrating the birth this month of their second child. James Owen Phillips was born on June 11 at 3:58 a.m. He arrived at 7 lb,
One more banjo player for the good ol' US of A! Last week Catherine "BB" Bowness, banjo player with Mile Twelve, took the oath of allegiance and was sworn in as a newly minted US citizen. The New Zealand native has
With the ever increasing popularity of the mandolin in contemporary music, and the tendency of alt-bluegrass and Americana groups to plug in on stage, Eastman Guitars has introduced an electric mandolin model to serve those markets. Their new ER-M is built
C.F. Martin & Co. is preparing to make what it is calling its “biggest capital investment” ever. The company, beloved in bluegrass circles and beyond for its top-of-the-line acoustic guitars, has announced plans for a 200,000-square-foot warehouse and distribution center
