Articles

Made To Be Played ​A Christmas gift led Steve Hinde to build his first guitar. He received a Martin D-18 kit with an Adirondack top and, naturally, Hinde modified the guitar with what he calls the full “Tony treatment”: forward shifted scalloped braces, large sound hole, an ebony fingerboard with no dots, ebony long slot bridge,…

Photos by Sophia Sharp Bluegrass vocalist/mandolinist Tina Adair has a new perspective on life since gracing the cover of Bluegrass Unlimited magazine in April 2023. While the physical evidence is apparent, the Grammy-nominated singer also underwent a metamorphosis that transformed her mental and emotional well-being, too. Adair’s successful weight loss journey has also had a…

True to themselves and Good as True Through their quarter-century together as a band, Yonder Mountain String Band has kicked down the door for string bands and redefined what is possible for acoustic groups in an electrified rock ‘n’ roll world.  Yonder emerged from the mountains of Nederland, Colorado in 1998 when guitarist Adam Aijala,…

Couldn’t Outrun The Blues If He Tried Blues and bluegrass go together like bourbon and branch water, and Trey Hensley fully embraces that musical connection. Nearly everything he’s done since starting out confirms that the blues and its kissin’ cousins, deep country and bluegrass, provide the foundation for his rootsy, fresh-from-the-mill bluegrass vocals and major…

When guitar legend Steve Cropper died a few months ago, the response from musicians of all stripes was unanimous. Cropper was one of the best guitarists of all time, was at the heart of the Memphis Stax sound, and was one of the important pieces of why Booker T and the MGs were such an…

In 1976, the Japanese division of Sony Music released two monumental 10-album collections that proved to be bonanzas for collectors of classic bluegrass and country music. These collections, titled Bluegrass Jamboree and New Greatest Hits, were groundbreaking in their scope, quality, and cultural significance. On the occasion of the 50th anniversary of their release, it’s…