Behind the Mic

Being a bluegrass fan can be a curious thing. Some folks are born into it, listening to mom and dad play Flatt & Scruggs before they’re even out of the hospital. Others sort of just fall into it – perhaps they

It’s hard to keep a good man down in bluegrass music (although we all do like to be lonesome now and then), and radio broadcaster Larry Roberts is a prime example of that. Roberts has been a DJ for almost

Bluegrass is sometimes viewed as music for old fogies. The emphasis on tradition, the lack of electric instruments, the sheer lonesomeness of it all – it’s not Katy Perry or Justin Beiber, that’s for sure. In the past several years,

When we think of “radio voices,” smooth, rich, polished tones come to mind – think Casey Kasem. Broadcaster Jim Fisher was a little surprised when, years ago, someone told him that his voice was well-suited for the radio. As he

Part of the fun for bluegrass concerts and festivals for some folks is recording them for later listening. Of course, some venues prohibit this, and some artists frown upon it, but for many fans, it’s a great way to recall

Some folks, when asked to define bluegrass music, might simply hand you a picture of Bill Monroe. Others might put forth an argument about banjos, or harmonies, or electric instruments. Many folks in recent years have been leaning toward a

Many of the bluegrass broadcasters we’ve written about in this series are volunteers, spending chunks of their evenings or weekends spinning some of their favorite songs for listeners of community, campus, and even commercial radio. For others, however, broadcasting has

Although we certainly have stars in bluegrass music, there's really more of a feeling of community – shared between fans, musicians (professional and amateur alike), and other folks within the industry – that many other musical genres do not enjoy.

There was little doubt that Daniel Mullins would one day host a radio show. While he might be best known to Bluegrass Today readers for his album reviews, holiday playlists, and other, often-humorous, contributions here, he is also a third-generation

Close your eyes and imagine this: an upright radio with a big round dial on the front, with fiddle tunes coming through the speakers. A family gathered around it in the living room, waiting for their favorite song to come