Obituary

Benny Birchfield, who played with The Osborne Brothers during their hey day in the 1960s, died on August 2, 2025 at 88 years of age. He first joined Sonny and Bobby in 1959, coming on board as a bass player. Switching

Joe Bittle of Owensboro, KY, a long-time and highly-valued member of the International Bluegrass Music Association, died on September 28 at 74 years of age. Anyone who has been an exhibitor at World of Bluegrass, going back to its days in

Central North Carolina multi-instrumentalist, Charlie Peek, 74, of Sanford, passed away on August 26, 2025. He was known for performing in several local bands and weekly open jams. His wife, Martha Quillin, shared some of Charlie's musical background. "He grew up in

This remembrance of Iowa fiddler Alan Murphy is a contribution from Marc Janssen and Aleta Porcella. Alan Murphy (80) died on July 26, 2025. While his family and close friends called him Alan, he will be remembered by most as master fiddler

Beloved Kentucky banjo builder and luthier Arthur Hatfield died yesterday following a battle with lung cancer. He was 76 years of age. For the past 40 years he built high-quality, professional-grade five-string banjos from a small shop behind his home in

Adam Frazier, 31, passed away from Stage 4 stomach cancer on Wednesday, July 16. An upright bass player, he was a member of Flint Hill, a talented group that took first place at numerous central North Carolina fiddlers' conventions, and

Norman Adams, 90, owner of Adams Bluegrass LLC, passed away on Tuesday, July 15, following a period of declining health. He and his wife, Judy, were promoters of 10 family-oriented bluegrass festivals for 45 years, presenting the biggest names in

Timothy Goins, a bluegrass multi-instrumentalist and songwriter, died unexpectedly on the morning of July 10. He was 61 years of age. A native of western North Carolina, Tim was living in Virginia when he passed. He had learned to play taking

Troy Reavis, 75-year-old promoter of the Gospel on Farm Festival in Gold Hill, NC, passed away on June 28. He was a passionate supporter of bluegrass, hosting festivals, bi-monthly jams, and other gatherings on his property. He had honorably served his

Dan Lashbrook, 76 year-old master guitar modifier and set-up wizard, passed away suddenly on June 19 at his home in North Carolina. A self-proclaimed "guitar doc," he spent almost four decades focused on improving the volume and tone of guitars