• Bill Lowe passes

    William Forrest "Bill" Lowe of West Union, South Carolina, passed away on Sunday, April 28. He was aged 82. Born at Hatfield, Pike County, Kentucky, on May 8, 1930, he grew up listening to old-time country music. His uncle Grover taught

  • Special Lady, Special Song

    Right after she found out she was dying, Carol Simpson found a way to live forever. She decided to record a bluegrass song. That song, A Part of Me, grew into an album of the same time, recorded with the Canadian band,

  • Chris Austin Songwriting winners announced

    MerleFest has announced the winners in its prestigious Chris Austin Songwriting Contest. All winners receive cash and merchandise prizes, and a chance to perform on tonight's stage show. Bluegrass 1st - John Cloyd Miller (Asheville, NC) for Cloud of Dust 2nd - Todd Grebe

  • Grassers mourn The Possum

    Friday was a sad day in country music, as George Jones, among the most influential singers in the history of the music, passed away at 81 years of age. Perhaps excepting Hank Williams and Johnny Cash, no one was more

  • Compass releases quartet of MCR compliations

    Compass Records has just released four digital albums of music recorded during the 2012 season of Music City Roots, a Nashville-based radio and television program airing each Wednesday evening from The Loveless Barn. Each of the four is titled based on loose stylistic

  • Rebecca Frazier – When We Fall

    It wasn't long ago that Rebecca Frazier was a rising star in bluegrass music. Her band, Hit & Run Bluegrass, had been an invited showcase act at the 2005 IBMA World of Bluegrass, and she graced the cover of the Fall

  • Bob Mavian passes

    Sad news from Westchester County NY — Dr. Bob Mavian (aka Gibson Case of the Case Brothers) passed away in hospital Saturday, April 20 surrounded by his family. Bob had recently retired from his long career as a vet. He was known

  • Chris & the Night Riders head east

    I know... Chris Jones' band is the Night Drivers. I just couldn't resist joining in the fun after he's written so often about the many erroneous variations on his band name he's observed over the years. My favorite is his

  • David Carroll to Darrell Webb

    The Darrell Webb Band has announced a new acquisition. David Carroll is now the banjo picker with the band. David is well-known as a crackerjack on the five in his native southwestern Virginia, where he played for several years with The