Reviews

In their time, The Country Gentlemen were one of the most influential groups in bluegrass. From their founding in 1957, over the next several decades, they recorded dozens of albums as key members came and went. The Gentlemen were among the first to broadly expand bluegrass’s vocabulary by bringing in material from other genres. In…

Since forming in 2015, West Virginia’s Crandall Creek has become one of bluegrass music’s well-known and popular groups, having been nominated for and winning a number of awards, and having their songs placed high on the music charts.  Founded by guitarist and songwriter Jerry Andrews, he is joined on this new release by original members…

The “Pickin’ On” series on CMH Records may have started as a whim or a novelty, but after three decades and dozens of releases, it’s become a cottage industry.  By now, the Beatles, Bob Dylan, and The Eagles have all been “picked on,” along with seemingly less likely candidates like The Doors, Green Day, The…

Ohio musician Joe Mullins is one of bluegrass music’s stalwarts. He is an excellent banjo player whose career also included being a member of such bands as The Traditional Grass and Longview. He is also the owner of a radio station and is a broadcaster.   Since forming The Radio Ramblers in 2006, Mullins and…

When festival season ends and you’re pining for those summer times where bluegrass tunes are wrapped around over-the-top corny comedy bits, you may not have to wait for the spring thaw. The Billy Boucher Bluegrass Band may just have the product for you. It’s hard to believe the band can sing with tongues planted so…

Bryan Sutton remembers well the times when he was the new young gun guitarist in the bluegrass world. As a young man, he had his eye on moving to Nashville and being a studio musician, and that happened in the mid-1990s. Then, he soon found himself performing and recording with some of the most amazing…