• Bid on rare Monroe memorabilia

    Mandolin Cafe has a story about an auction being conducted by Christie's in New York on December 3 that should be of interest to mandolinists and collectors of Bill Monroe memorabilia. The Country Music Sale on 12/3 includes the framed, original

  • Just another brick in the wall?

    Well, it will be a special brick if you take the The Bean Blossom Jamboree Foundationup on their offer and adopt a brick in their Memorial Brick Wall Project. The Foundation is trying to raise sufficient funds to purchase the Bill

  • Bill Monroe stamp campaign picks up steam

    We've made mention in the past about the campaign to convince the US Postal Service to issue a commemorative stamp honoring the musical contributions of Bill Monroe. According to the USPS guidelines, such stamps can not be issued until ten years

  • Blue Grass Boys circa 1966

    Scott Tichenor, proprietor of Mandolin Cafe, shot us a note about some photos published yesterday on his site. Cafe member John Fields posted several pictures he took of Bill Monroe on tour in England during 1996, which he had waylaid and

  • BBJF 2009 update

    In an open letter to Friends, Donors, Supporters, and those with an interest in the Bean Blossom Jamboree Foundation Inc. (BBJF), the foundation has announced details regarding the progress that the organization has made in its mission to preserve the

  • Monroe’s mandolin – further update

    Following our recent story about the agreement between the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum and the Trustees of the Estate of the late Robert W. McLean concerning the ownership of instruments such as Bill Monroe's mandolin and Maybelle

  • Bluegrass History

    The Charlotte Observer ran a piece a couple days ago featuring an interview with author Tom Warlick. Warlick co-wrote a book with his wife Lucy, in 2007 titled: The WBT Briarhoppers: Eight Decades of a Bluegrass Band Made for Radio. The

  • Walter Haynes passes

    Walter Haynes, steel guitar player and producer, passed away on Thursday, January 1, in Tyler, Texas. He was 80 years old. Born December 14, 1928, in Kingsport, Tennessee, Haynes was an under-rated steel guitar player who worked with Little Jimmy Dickens,

  • Monroe’s mandolin

    Today's Tennessean newspaper has reported that the Country Music Foundation (CMF), on behalf of the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, has reach an agreement with Robert Waldschmidt, the Trustee for the Robert W. McLean Bankruptcy Estate. This agreement, if