A couple of years ago—and given the pandemic time warp we've all experienced, that could be anywhere from one to eight years—I wrote a column about pronoun switches. The idea was inspired by Pete Wernick, who thought there were several
Opinion / Humor
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Ask a bluegrass legend – a special Halloween video
As we head into the Halloween weekend, with all the little ones preparing to scare us out of our boots with their spooky costumes, we've put together a very special video for your entertainment and edification. We have contacted a legitimate
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Tell Sonny Anything… we miss you Chief!
This week, the first Friday without our beloved Sonny Osborne, we thought we would do something a bit different. Since Sonny is no longer able to answer everyone's questions, we instead asked several prominent people in bluegrass to share their
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From The Side of the Road… spooky songs for bluegrass gatherings
I've discussed in past columns the fact that, while bluegrass bands still get booked at weddings, there are at most three appropriate bluegrass songs to play at a wedding. Even some of the instrumentals are questionable, at least if you
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Ask Sonny Anything… Tell us about the guitjo
Sonny, Who came up with the Gitjo? The pickin that you did on that was great! Also, when you worked for Bill Monroe, I was wondering In those days if they had you to do any of the driving? Thanks, Mark K. Driving Mister
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From The Side of the Road… I bet you don’t remember me
I want to describe a scene at a typical bluegrass concert or festival that will probably be familiar to both artist and fan, and it may cause each to shudder just a little: A fan walks up to a performer while
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Ask Sonny Anything… can you speak about Kenny Ingram?
Sonny is again unable to answer questions this week, so we are rerunning one of his classic columns. Let's hope he will be back with us next week. Sonny, If you don't mind, please a few words and thoughts about Kenny
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From The Side of the Road… there’s a day for that!
We're constantly trying to find new and more effective ways to market bluegrass music to a wider audience, or just a less narrow audience, if you want to look at it that way. I've recently returned from the IBMA World
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Ask Sonny Anything… did you know Don Stover?
Dear Sonny, Did you ever cross paths with Don Stover? And if so, what did you make of his banjo style? I'm a New England guy, and Don and the Lilly Brothers meant a lot to us during many years they
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From The Side of the Road… post World of Bluegrass analysis
It's the IBMA World of Bluegrass week-after. I usually go through my annual post-IBMA bluegrass cleanse during this week, which involves vigorous exercise (five push-ups), listening to music based on instruments Bill Monroe didn't like: the flute, the harp, the