• Ronnie Freeland passes

    Ronnie Freeland, noted bluegrass recording engineer, passed away on July 20 following complications from brain cancer. He was 55 years old. Born May 30, 1959, Ronald (RB) Freeland was the son of Dick Freeland, who owned and ran Rebel Records in

  • Gary Phelps passes

    Another Washington State grasser down. Gary Phelps passed away suddenly from a heart attack on July 22, 2014, while at Providence St. Peter Hospital, Olympia, Washington. Gary Eldon Phelps was born in Olympia, Washington, on November 27, 1939. He served in the Navy,

  • Carl Chatski passes

    The Seattle bluegrass music community has lost a long-time member in the person of Carl Chatski, who passed away unexpectedly July 24 at the age of 75. Originally from Baltimore, MD, Carl had lived in the Seattle, WA area for some time. As

  • John Hutchinson passes

    We have learned that prominent festival promoter John Hutchinson passed away earlier this afternoon. Along with his wife Fern, John ran the Central Virginia Bluegrass Festival in Amelia, VA since 1979. He was 83 years old. John had suffered a stroke in

  • Lonnie Hamer passes

    Lonnie Hamer wasn’t famous, but perhaps he should have been. He didn’t excel on stage or in the studio, but the upright basses that passed through his workshop near Hanover, PA, did, and they will continue to do so for many

  • Don Light passes

    We have learned of the passing of Don Light earlier today. He was a legend in the Gospel music business, having served as a booking agent and manager to many of the top acts during the 20th Century. His Don

  • James Alan Shelton, RIP

    Just a few months after the passing of his guitar hero George Shuffler, longtime Clinch Mountain Boy James Alan Shelton has passed away in Kingsport, TN. James had been diagnosed with Stage 4 cancer of the liver and pancreas just

  • James Alan Shelton passes

    James Alan Shelton, long-time guitarist with Ralph Stanley & the Clinch Mountain Boys, passed away earlier this evening. He was in the hospital near his home in East Tennessee being treated for cancer, and died peacefully with his wife, Greta,

  • Jerry Sullivan passes 

    Jerry Sullivan of the famous traditional bluegrass Gospel group, the Sullivan Family, passed away at his home on Saturday May 31. He had been ill for some time. A native of Wagarville, in rural southern Alabama, born on November 22, 1933,