Mountain Fever Records has released a first single from their upcoming album for The Deer Creek Boys. It's a good ol' brokenhearted number from Larry Boone, Tracy Lawrence, and Paul Nelson called How A Cowgirl Says Goodbye. The song was a hit for Tracy
Reso-guitar master Ivan Rosenberg has come up with a clever way to promote his next recording, using the crowdfunding site Kickstarter to generate advance orders. He has found success for his melodic old time and contemporary bluegrass recordings, as an in-demand
Donny Catron, long time guitarist and tenor singer with The Tennessee Gentlemen, passed away on February 21. He was 60 years of age and had been ill for some time. The Tennessee Gentlemen had toured extensively since the mid 1960s, perhaps
Few people can get away with describing their music as an “experience.” But then again, few words come close to actually describing the music of Larry Keel. To see Larry Keel perform is to have just that: a unique, singular
Saturday at the Palatka Bluegrass Festival opened with a Gospel sing in front of the stage. Around 20 musicians joined in. At the same time Norman and Judy Adams were hard at work taking reservations for next year’s show. The Marksmen opened
One great thing about bluegrass culture is that even the most modern artists appreciate the music of the earlier days, while the more orthodox players enjoy what the more contemporary pickers are doing. Here's a great example of that young meets old,
North Carolina fiddler Tim Smith is back with a second album under the title, Fiddler Tim Smith & Friends - Volume 2. Like its namesake, this record combines Smith's clever original instrumentals with popular standards and a couple of Gospel
Five string banjo pickers in the US, especially here in my home state of Virginia, typically know a little something about Joel Sweeney of Appomattox. He was an early popularizer of the banjo in the pre-Civil War south, often using
The 2016 edition of Bluegrass First Class was held this past weekend at the Crowne Plaza resort in Asheville, NC. Everyone seemed to have a fine time enjoying the music and the lovely surroundings, with the possible exception of one banjo
Every bluegrass festival has its surprises, and Friday at Palatka was no exception. The day started with an open stage. Two youngsters went out and played several tunes on guitar and mandolin – and very well. The boys are 11 year
