The Artists

Photos by Laci Mack Sometimes a new song comes to you the way it should, as in randomly, and without fanfare or prior description, and the quality of it takes you for a ride. That is what happened to me one day while driving through the mountains of Western North Carolina. In the Blue Ridge…

I called Ron Thomason on his eightieth birthday, September 5th, to schedule an interview for Bluegrass Unlimited. I had just recently reviewed his latest album, Ancient Songs Et Al. I had also watched the recent documentary about Ron and the Dry Branch Fire Squad, The Court Jester. I had read numerous articles highlighting Thomason’s many…

Photos By Scott Simontacchi The unintentional decade-long wait between the release of Rebecca Frazier’s last album When We Fall (in 2013) and her latest Boarding Windows in Paradise (in 2024) reflects Rebecca’s continued maturation as an artist in the face of modern life. Boarding Windows in Paradise – currently #4 on the Billboard Bluegrass Albums…

Sadie’s Newest Sister Photo By Stephen Cannoy When we featured the powerhouse bluegrass band Sister Sadie on the cover of our June 2021 issue, the band had recently replaced original member Dale Ann Bradley with Jaelee Roberts (see article on page 38).  When Tina Adair left the band she was replaced with Mary Meyer and then…

“I’m a bluegrass baby,” declared 23-year-old Jaelee Roberts, lead singer/guitarist with Sister Sadie and nominee for IBMA’s 2024 Female Vocalist of the Year, recipient of SPBGMA’s 2023 Vocalist of the Year and Album of the Year, nominee for IBMA’s 2022 New Artist of the Year, and recipient of IBMA’s 2021 Momentum Vocalist of the Year….

A Songwriter’s Songwriter Photos by Michael G. Stewart Tom Paxton has been an integral part of the songwriting and folk music community since the early 1960’s Greenwich Village scene, and continues to be a primary influence on today’s performers. The Chicago native came to New York via Oklahoma, which he considers to be his home…