The Artists

Tad grew up in a suburban area of Philadelphia. At a young age he heard music playing inside his head without the aid of a radio or phonograph. He recalls that as a child he would skip along the sidewalk, avoiding the cracks, and hum the tunes he was hearing. He is sure that he…

Photo by Laura Ridge On the cover of the May 1976 issue of Bluegrass Unlimited there appears a group of unknown bluegrass musicians along with the words “Bluegrass Cardinals.”  The title of that cover story, written by Frank Godbey, was “Who in the World are the Bluegrass Cardinals?”  The world would soon find out. The…

DobroSinger Photo by Neale Eckstein You may think that DobroSinger must be a typo, however rest assured it is not.  Not only is it the title of Abbie Gardner’s new release, but it also serves as an excellent description of the style she has carved out for herself.  Dobro is an instrument that is largely…

Retires from the Road Photo by Richard Boyd The last week of 2021 was an emotional one for IBMA Hall of Fame legend Doyle Lawson. On Christmas Eve one of his best friends, J.D. Crowe passed away. His funeral was scheduled for December 30, the same day that Lawson would be taking his final bow…

Touring With The “Father of Bluegrass”  In many ways, Mark Hembree’s new book about life on the road with Bill Monroe was an account he needed nearly 40 years to write.  He actually started work on the book while still a Blue Grass Boy and got so far as to draw up a rough draft of an…

Bluegrass Sideman Photos By Laura Ridge “I am very blessed to have spent my whole life doing what I love with deepest passion,” Ben Greene professed after a recent show. What has he been doing his whole life? Playing music, mostly picking banjo for his livelihood. Greene has played the last sixteen years with the…