Grady Hockett, 81, of Greensboro, NC, passed away January 5. A longtime guitarist, dobroist, banjoist, singer, and songwriter, he was also the proprietor of the Rand Ol' Opry, a live music venue in Liberty, for many years. His love affair with
Daily Feature
-
-
Carl Pagter passes
Co-founder of the California Bluegrass Association (CBA), Carl Pagter passed away on Tuesday, January 3, 2023, in Virginia. He was 89 years old. Carl Richard Pagter was born on February 13, 1934, in Baltimore, and helped to form the San
-
Long Gone video from Authentic Unlimited
Billy Blue Records has a new music video to share today from Authentic Unlimited, their version of Neil Diamond's Long Gone. Authentic Unlimited has been making waves ever since their founding a year ago, made up of three members of the
-
Bill Evans talks Steve Martin Banjo Prize
Bill Evans - photo by Mike Melnyk Just before Christmas, we had an opportunity to chat with Bill Evans, one of the recipients of the 2022 Steve Martin Banjo Prize, now administered by The Freshgrass Foundation. The prize was initiated by the
-
From The Side of the Road… 2023 Bluegrass Quiz
Happy New Year! Was one of your resolutions to become more knowledgable about bluegrass music? Well, I'm afraid I'll be no help there, but if you'd like to start the year knowing how much you already know about it, you'll
-
Jeff Davis passes
Bluegrass has lost another of its fold. Western North Carolina multi-instrumentalist, Jeff Davis, of Marion, passed away suddenly this weekend at 52. His biggest gig was playing mandolin for Charlie Waller in the Country Gentlemen, but Davis grew up performing
-
Bluegrass 2022 closes out the year with Gold Rush
Pinecastle Records has released another single from their instrumental tour de force project, Bluegrass 2022, headed up by banjo wizard Scott Vestal. Scott has turned out these records from his studio, Digital Underground, for years, assisted by fellow Nashville super
-
Ian Tyson passes
Ian Tyson photo © Peter Scoular (used by permission) Celebrated Canadian folk singer and songwriter Ian Tyson has died today at 89 years of age. Though his career was focused on folk music, a number of Tyson's songs have been memorably recorded
-
From The Side of the Road… do you still believe in Bill Monroe?
Happy post-Christmas/pre-NewYear. I'm spending the holidays in a somewhat remote area of western Canada, where it was necessary to write and send this column in late November, to allow time for it to be delivered by dog sled (with some
-
It’s Gonna Get Better drops for Volume Five
Mountain Fever Records has released a new single for Volume Five, the third from their upcoming album, Karma, set to release next week. It's a song called It's Gonna Get Better, written by two of the most celebrated songwriters in bluegrass,