The Archives
Johnny Whisnant: Musical History
Reprinted from Bluegrass Unlimited Magazine Part I June 1970, Volume 4, Number 12 Truly one of the pioneers of country music is Johnny Whisnant, who plays five-string banjo. His career as a professional musician spans a period of more than 35 years. Unfortunately, he is perhaps the most misunderstood and certainly the most underrated musician…
Bluegrass In The Cocktail Lounge
Reprinted from Bluegrass Unlimited Magazine February 1969, Volume 3, Number 8 In the past there have been many different outlets for bluegrass music — radio, TV, school-house shows, tent shows, bars and parks, to name a few. The list has, in recent years, shrunk appreciably to the point where, in many areas, the only source…
Breakthrough In Bluegrass Repertoire
Reprinted from Bluegrass Unlimited Magazine October 1970, Volume 5, Number 4 Having never seen J. D. Crowe and the Kentucky Mountain Boys in person, I was looking forward to their appearance at Carlton Haney’s Labor Day Weekend Festival. When they mounted the stage, I was not disappointed. In addition to their considerable instrumental and vocal…
John Hartford: Living His Dreams
Reprinted from Bluegrass Unlimited MagazineJune, 1985. Volume 19, Number 12 The photograph John Hartford considers his favorite tells a lot about the man. It depicts him standing between two of the biggest influences on his life, Earl Scruggs and his fifth grade teacher, Miss Ruth Ferris. You also need to know about his modesty. Listen:…
John Hartford
Reprinted from Bluegrass Unlimited Magazine October 1979, Volume 14, Number 4 Regardless of how one has been introduced to John Hartford and his music: From back in the ‘sixties when he was appearing with the Smothers Brothers and Glen Campbell, through Campbell’s enormously successful version of “Gentle On My Mind” (not to mention recordings by…
The Better half of Jim and Jesse & Va. Boys
Reprinted from Bluegrass Unlimited MagazineAugust 1970, Volume 5, Number 2 For the last few years Jim & Jesse have been perched precariously between the two kinds of music which, for some reason, seem to have the bitterest resentments toward each other. “Jim & Jesse have gone country” is the angry cry—”tune ‘em out!” So as…