Obituary

Noted North Carolina banjo picker and celebrated luthier Snuffy Smith has passed away. Professional banjo players, serious amateurs and banjo aficionados of every stripe had long trusted Snuffy for all sorts of set up and repair. Many more who never met

Our condolences to Eric and Leigh Gibson and their families following the death of their father on Saturday. Unless you lived near him in upstate New York, you probably didn’t know Kelley J. Gibson. But if you’re a fan of the

Longtime McCormick Brothers fiddler Dewel Bullington passed away on January 9 at the age of 78. He had spent 55 years working with the McCormicks, with whom he had become a dear and cherished friend. This brief tribute was published on the McCormick

Legendary bass player Jody Rainwater passed away in his sleep on the evening of Saturday, December 24, 2011, following a lengthy illness.  He was 92 years old. Rainwater, aka Charles Edward ‘Chuck’ Johnson, spent two years in the early 1950s working

We are saddened to share the news that Jody Rainwater, aka Charles E ‘Chuck’ Johnson, passed away on Christmas Eve. He died with his family in attendance. He served as bass player with Flatt & Scruggs for many years, and after that was

Edward William “Shorty” Eager passed away following an extended illness on December 19, 2011, at Cobb Wellstar Hospital in Austell, Georgia. A former member of Jimmy Martin's Sunny Mountain Boys, Eager was born on February 13, 1941. Originally from Mohnton, Pennsylvania, he

This remembrance of Frank Necessary is a contribution from Jay Armsworthy, an avid promoter of bluegrass in Maryland and the District of Columbia, who performs with his group, Eastern Tradition. Frank Marion Necessary   (Banjo, Guitar) Born: December 20, 1935 - Boone’s Camp, Kentucky One of the

The greatest proponent of bluegrass music in San Francisco, and perhaps the world, has died. Warren Hellman, best known in our community for his creation and funding of the Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival, was a philanthropist that put his money

Robert F. Rook Jr., better known in bluegrass music circles as Bobby Diamond, passed away at his home in York, Pennsylvania, on Thursday, September 22, 2011. He was 78 years old. Born May 16, 1933, in Waynesboro, Pennsylvania, a son of