The Archives

The Fiddling of Sam Bush

Photos by Ron Evers Reprinted from Bluegrass Unlimited Magazine February 1985, Volume 19, Number 8 If I could re-live one musical experience it would be listening to Sam Bush’s fiddle jam on that newgrass tour de force, “Don’t Look Back,” performed August, 1982 outdoors at Green Acres Music Hall, near Rutherford, North Carolina. Despite the…

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The Bluegrass Alliance

Reprinted from Bluegrass Unlimited Magazine October, 1969 — Volume 4, Number 4 Mr. Webster, in his oft-quoted book, defines alliance as being “a union of interests”, “any union by relationship in qualities” and “a connection for mutual advantage between any groups or bodies”.   They named themselves well, this band about which I am writing….

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Bill Monroe And The Fiddle

Reprinted from Bluegrass Unlimited Magazine February 1969, Volume 3, Number 8 The fiddle has always had an important part in bluegrass music but no one has given this instrument a more prominent place in his band than Bill Monroe. This featuring of the fiddle goes right back to Bill’s first band. When the Monroe Brothers…

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An Interview With Bill Clifton

Reprinted from Bluegrass Unlimited Magazine March 1968, Volume 2, Number 9 April 1968, Volume 2, Number 10 May 1968, Volume 2, Number 11 R.K.S.: This is August 9, 1967 – This is Dick Spottswood, I’m sitting here in my Takoma Park apartment. With me is Andrew Townend from England, Gail Swinburne my neighbor from Takoma…

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Lester Flatt & Marty Stuart

Reprinted from Bluegrass Unlimited Magazine September 1978, Volume 13, Number 3 “Precious memories, how they linger, How they ever flood my soul. In the stillness of the midnight, precious sacred scenes unfold.” J.B. Wright That song both opens and closes Marty Stuart’s “With A Little Help From My Friends” album. It is an appropriate number…

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The Blue Grass Quartet; Bill Monroe, Rudy, Joel Price, and Jimmy Martin ca. 1950

Rudy Lyle—Classic Bluegrass Banjo Man

Reprinted from Bluegrass Unlimited Magazine April 1985, Volume 19, Number 10 In any conversation about the great musicians in the formative years of bluegrass music one name always comes up, Rudy Lyle. Rudy played the banjo on many of the classic Bill Monroe recordings including “Rawhide,” “On & On,” “Sugar Coated Love,” and probably his…

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