Articles

Reprinted from Bluegrass Unlimited Magazine April 1984, Volume 18, Number 10 Ralph Emery talks to guest Tom T. Hall as we return from a commercial break on the Nashville Network’s “Ralph Emery Show”: Ralph: What do you think of when you hear Hot Rize, Tom? Tom: Martha White products, Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs and…

Reprinted from Bluegrass Unlimited Magazine May 1976, Volume 10, Number 11 As I sat in my car across the street from the Fifth String on North High Street in Columbus, Ohio, it occurred to me that bluegrass had come a long way there in the years since I’d left town. In the early sixties you…

Reprinted from Bluegrass Unlimited Magazine August 2000, Volume 35, Number 2 On a record that became a turning point for bluegrass, a particular Bryan Sutton solo likewise became a turning point for the brilliant young guitarist. The disc was Ricky Skaggs’ “Bluegrass Rules,” the CD that showed the world at large the immense vitality and…

Photo Courtesy of Roy M. Andrade The tiny Appalachian town of Mountain City, Tennessee (population around 2,500), sits in the northeastern corner of the state, about halfway between Bristol, Tennessee, and Boone, North Carolina.  At 2,418 feet, it is the highest incorporated town in Tennessee, and the county seat for Johnson County, in one of…

We Interview Some of the People Involved with All Stages of the IBMA’s History Photos Courtesy of IBMA It was in 1985 that the International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA) was officially formed, which makes 2025 its 40th anniversary year.  In this article, we are not going to do a deep dive into the logistics and…

Photos by Will Price When it comes to the rich history of American roots music that collectively pre-dated and led to the creation of bluegrass in 1945, local culture and geography were key to different styles arising.  That phenomenon often happens with music that organically evolves, no matter the genre. In the 1700s and 1800s,…