Notable banjo player and distinguished baritone singer Freeman D. “Don” Parmley passed away on July 30, 2016, after experiencing complications related to Alzheimer’s disease. Parmley was born on October 19, 1933, in Monticello, Kentucky. As a 12-year-old he began learning claw-hammer/drop thumb
A few weeks ago, we posted that Carolina Blue, a traditional bluegrass band in western, NC, was in need of a banjo player. They have now announced that they found him, living right amongst them in Etowah. The band has welcomed James McDowell into
This report on the Hall of Fame weekend at the American Banjo Museum is a contribution from Alan Tompkins, a Dallas area bluegrass musician, radio host, and founder of the Bluegrass Heritage Foundation. Alan also serves on the Board of
In a surprising twist, the 2016 Steve Martin Prize for Excellence in Banjo and Bluegrass Music has been awarded to Rhiannon Giddens, founding member of The Carolina Chocolate Drops. Along with banjo scholar and musicologist Dom Flemons, Giddens has been at the
Alabama's Canaan’s Crossing has announced their reunion with a former bandmate, Drew Long, who has returned to the banjo position following the recent departure of Collins Miller. Miller, who had played with the group the past two years, is the son of Tina Miller who plays fiddle
Jens Kruger, celebrated North Carolina banjoist, by way of Switzerland, will be premiering a new composition of his with The Kruger Brothers and The Kontras Quartet, on October 15. The concert is scheduled at The Paramount Center in Bristol, TN. Titled Roan
With this post we introduce a new feature, which will appear sporadically at Bluegrass Today. The column may be new, but you all know the contributor, Katy Daley, a familiar voice from the Katy Daley Show each weekday morning at WAMU's
One of the finest banjo players of the 1960s and '70s has left us. Vic Jordan passed away last night in Nashville. He was 77 years of age and had been seriously ill for some time. Vic's prominence in bluegrass exploded when
The Darrell Webb Band has announced they newest member, Collins Miller, who has joined the group on banjo. Collins is 18 years of age, hailing from Arab in northern Alabama. Arab has the honor of being the namesake of a classic bluegrass
Mountain Home Music has produced a video tease for their newly-released Stringworks album by Grascals banjo master, Kristin Sctott Benson. The project mixes banjo and bluegrass classics with Kristin's original tunes, and a few from outside the genre. You'll not only get to
