Bluegrass Today Profiles

On this Day ….. On June 11, 1952 Nancy Ann Blake (nee Short) was born in Independence, Missouri. She took up cello at the age of 12 and moved to Nashville, where she played the instrument with the Nashville Youth Symphony. In 1972

They say a band is like a family. There must be trust among the members. There must be an atmosphere of peace and gentleness that allows for quiet time to think, and be inspired, and to create. There can’t be

On this Day ….. On May 28, 1927, John Palmer, bass player most noted for his time with Don Reno and Red Smiley, was born in Union, South Carolina. He was a World War II veteran. He worked with Don Reno in the

Mac Wiseman, the Voice with the Heart, celebrates his 90th birthday today, Saturday, May 23, 2015. Malcolm B Wiseman began his working life in radio, on Radio WSVA-AM in Harrisonburg, Virginia, when he was on the cusp of leaving his teenage

Most musicians have strong memories about the turning points in their careers, and that’s certainly true for octogenarian Fletcher Bright, who says his came in the late 1980s after he’d been performing professionally for more than 40 years with his

On This Day  … On May 14, 2005, Jimmy Martin passed away. Ten years ago today, James Henry Martin passed away in Nashville, Tennessee, having been diagnosed with bladder cancer over a year earlier. He was aged 77. The Toronto Star called him "one of

On This Day…… On May 8, 1995, Carroll Best was shot dead by his brother Sam. He was 64 years of age. Hugh Carroll Best Jr, from the Crabtree community of Haywood County, North Carolina, was a master of the melodic or

Steve Lewis, from Todd, NC (a tiny community just north of Boone) was gracious enough to talk with me about his experience playing and winning some of the toughest banjo and guitar contests in the country. In the interest of full

Maybe the Spinney Brothers should try to negotiate a contract that pays them by the mile. Sure, every bluegrass band racks up the miles, but when home is in Nova Scotia, just about every trip for Rick and Allan Spinney is

You know what drives me nuts? It's pretty simple. It's for me to be on stage and play a fiddle note that is not good quality. Mind you, it can be one note in thousands — or it can be