One of the first countries to ever reflect the extent of America's musical influence was the Soviet Union. Even at the height of the Cold War, visiting musicians from the US managed to find an immediate connection with their Russian
Bluegrass Today Profiles
California Report: Bill Knopf of Phil Salazar & the Kin Folk
Bill Knopf is a prolific banjo virtuoso, former UCLA drum major, and music instructor from the LA area who has been playing since before most readers were born. He was active in the early '60s playing in his own bands
20 Things You Didn’t Know About Rock Hearts
Based in New England, Rock Hearts is a band of gifted music veterans that recently charted with the debut single, 99 Year Blues, from the forthcoming album, Starry Southern Nights. The album was produced by Ned Luberecki. This group has an interesting backstory;
Sam Bush celebrates New Grass Revival, while looking ahead
Sam Bush - photo by Shelly Swanger Fifty years ago this month, in Louisville, KY, 19-year-old Sam Bush joined the Bluegrass Alliance as a guitar player. It was the first step on a journey that led to an 18-year run with New
Bluegrass Beyond Borders: The M-City Ramblers cut Belgian grass
For the past five years, the M-City Ramblers have made it their mission to help establish a bastion for bluegrass in Belgium. Nevertheless, its evolution came naturally. The band played its first official gig at a regional contest for acoustic
Moments in Bluegrass: BG75 #9 – Bill Emerson meets Bill Monroe
Following an invitation that the International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA) extended to its members that they share a memory from "75 years of bluegrass," we thought that we would collect a few to share with you. Bill Emerson is considered to
Bluegrass Beyond Borders: Bluedust offers bluegrass with Italian seasoning
Italy is known for a variety of things — its art, its culture, the cuisine, and of course, a fabled history that goes back thousands of years. However most would agree that one thing that the nation’s not known for
On This Day #63 – Emma Smith, Back To The Basics
On this day …. On August 7, 1987 Emma Smith recorded tracks for her Back To The Basics LP (OHS 90206) at John Morris’s Old Homestead studio, Brighton, Michigan. It was her fourth album for the label. An excellent songwriter steeped in
Twisted Pine tangles bluegrass roots while pushing in new directions
While any number of new bands have helped push the parameters of traditional bluegrass, few have done so with more diligence than Twisted Pine. Their roots were planted in traditional ground at the outset of their collective careers, as evidenced
California Report: Johnny Campbell & the Bluegrass Drifters
Fourth-generation, award winning fiddler/multi-instrumentalist Johnny Campbell is a tried-and-true bluegrass traditionalist. Originally from Nashville, he has made his way to and from California several times while playing with San Francisco’s Windy Hill. He and his wife, Whitney Campbell, hold down