There’s a school of thought that says you can’t teach songwriting. Folks can either write lyrics and compose interesting melodies, or they can’t. But if the craft itself can’t be taught, those interested in pursuing it can gain some valuable perspective
The arrival of a new Doyle Lawson CD in the mailbox is cause for joy. Even before the plastic wrapper is peeled off, you know what to expect – music as tasteful and original as his custom boots and jackets. And
Few musicians garner the universal respect of Michael Cleveland. A child prodigy, Michael won the hearts of the entire bluegrass industry in 1993 as a member of the IBMA Youth All-Stars. Since that time, he has gone on to perform and record
As is true for most students of the bluegrass instruments, resonator guitarists are especially enamored of the instruments made just prior to the US entry into WWII. In the late 1930s and early '40s, almost all of the reso-guitars were being
As much as the popular media might want us to, all bluegrass fans don’t live in an old homeplace in the Blue Ridge Mountains. However, that doesn’t mean that those images don’t stay popular in this style of music. Some
The bluegrass world was turned on its ears last January following the debut album of a bunch of young people from Florida. Flatt Lonesome won SPBGMA's band competition in 2012, and nabbed a nomination for IBMA's Emerging Artist of the Year
West Virginia singer, songwriter, and mandolinist, Rachel Burge, first came to our attention as a member of No One You Know, a bluegrass group formerly based in the Mountaineer State. Their clever band name served them well in generating curiosity, one that may
In the 1960’s, country star Hank Snow sang “I’ve been everywhere, man.” Although Bradford Lee Folk didn’t include that song on his recent album Somewhere Far Away, his background gives him a legitimate claim to it. Folk was born in
So much of Tim Stafford’s identity is wrapped up in Blue Highway, his musical home for the last two decades. He’s one terrific songwriter, singer and picker, but in that setting he’s surrounded by a bandful of them who share
Tom Travis is a long-standing and very well respected member of the British bluegrass music fraternity. He is also a practicing Christian who specializes in the traditional styles of the genre. So, it is natural for Travis to sing and
