The Stanley Brothers

It seems that the annual IBMA convention and awards always stir up the familiar argument about whether traditional bluegrass gets its due, or is getting squeezed out by newer, bluegrass-derived music. This has always struck me as a needless and

Here’s the second episode of a periodic feature, where we ask bluegrass personalities to choose their top five bluegrass gospel songs. This week we hear from Gary B Reid, an award winning writer with a particular focus on the music

Here's another new feature, where we ask bluegrass personalities to choose their top five Gospel songs. This week we hear from Peter Thompson, host of Bluegrass Signal on KALW. The five I've chosen are all from the wonderful world of bluegrass,

The level of excitement peaks when anticipating a book about one of the elite members of our bluegrass community. Such was the case when there was news of the completion of David W. Johnson's book about the Stanley Brothers, Lonesome Melodies:

On this day ….. On January 28, 1984, soulful bluegrass singer and mandolin player Earl Taylor died. Earl Taylor was born on June 17, 1929, in rural Rose Hill, Lee County, Virginia.  He was the leader of one of the more significant

On this day in 1923 …… January 10, 1923, Curly Ray Cline was born. Had he lived, the extrovert Curly Ray Cline would have been 90 years old today. Born in Pike County, Kentucky, Cline was inspired to play the fiddle by hearing

I’m sure by now the fruitcake is on the table and you have a bookmark on Luke 2, but if you need a little bluegrass to get you in the Christmas spirit, here are some Christmas classics that are sure

2013 holds much in store with books about the first generation bluegrass musicians promised. Firstly, in February, the University Press of Mississippi will publish Lonesome Melodies: The Lives and Music of the Stanley Brothers (ISBN-13: 978-1-61703-646-0) written by David W. Johnson. Carter and

Pete Winne's will be a familiar name to folks in bluegrass radio. He worked that circuit for Rebel Records for a time, but is now focused on a rootsy Americana group, Tumbling Bones, with whom he performs. They have a new

He’s called “The Youngest Of The Old Timers.” In 1963, Paul “Moon” Mullins, a former fiddler for The Stanley Brothers and popular bluegrass DJ, introduced Carter and Ralph to a gifted sixteen year old  guitar picker and singer from Lebanon, OH. After