Bluegrass Unlimited, now under the aegis of the Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame & Museum, has named Dan Miller as their new editor, effective with the November 2020 issue.
Bluegrass folks will remember Dan from his helming of Flatpicking Guitar Magazine, from its inception in 1996 until it ceased publication at the end of 2016. There he served as editor, publisher, writer, and ad sales manager, as well as head of anything else that needed doing. Under the FGM banner, Miller also produced a number of popular instructional DVDs for guitar, and released several audio CDs for flatpickers. Back issues and digital collections of its 20 years of content are still available.
Since closing down his magazine, he has been working primarily as a gentleman farmer in Missouri, raising food for him and his family. The farm is also used as a site for instructional workshops and retreats, though those have been shelved while COVID restrictions remain in effect.
When we spoke earlier today, Miller expressed excitement about getting back into print media again, but without all the many chores that land on the publisher’s desk. A primary early goal for Bluegrass Unlimited is to get readership and subscription rates back up to where they were a decade ago. Dan said that they would retain their focus on longer-form essays and articles, along with quality photography.
He also expects to launch a monthly column that will regularly examine some of the many exhibits on display in the museum, not to mention their deep archive of historical photos.
The Bluegrass Hall has also announced that they are partnering with Tanner+West, an Owensboro, KY-based advertising and design firm, who will handle the magazine’s monthly layout, printing and mailing, and its overall look. Dan says a new logo is in the works for the November issue.
Current subscribers need do nothing; they will continue receiving the magazine as before. But it is expected to gradually evolve into the magazine of the Museum, like most established museums in this country provide. As such, subscriptions will be offered as premiums for members and supporters of the Hall, located in Owensboro.