The Artists

Jim and Jesse McReynolds, 1947 promo photo. Photo courtesy of Joy McReynolds

Jim and Jesse: Falling Leaves and Accolades

In the well-known song by Grandpa Jones, “Falling Leaves,” we’re told: “To your grave, there’s no use taking any gold. You cannot use it when it’s time for hands to fold. When you leave this earth for a better home someday, the only thing you’ll take is what you gave away.”       Jim…

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Jesse McReynolds and the Virginia Boys at Glenville State College. (Left to Right) Bobby Hicks, Charles Whitstein, Jesse McReynolds, Kent Blanton, Daniel Gridstaff, Luke McKnight and Donny Catron

Jesse McReynolds’ Grandson Takes Us Into The Heart of Bluegrass Music’s First Generation

In the fall of 2022, I explored the region of Southwest Virginia that has produced some of the most famous musicians to ever appear in the long lineage of American roots music.  The 1,435-mile-long highway known as Route 23 makes its way from Jacksonville, Florida, to Mackinaw City, Michigan. About halfway in-between those two destinations…

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Jim and Jesse McReynolds, date is 1980. Jesse is playing the John Paganoni mandolin. // Photo courtesy of Joy McReynolds

Jim & Jesse

A Legacy of Consistent Excellence and Innovation With the passing of Jesse McReynolds and Bobby Osborne on June 23 and 27, 2023, at ages 91 and 93 respectively, most pioneers of the bluegrass sound have passed on and younger musicians are challenged to build on the musical foundation of artists like Bill Monroe, Flatt and…

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Ever Higher

Alan Munde Rises Above Convention with New Record “Excelsior” When Alan Munde was thinking of a name for his new collection of fifteen tunes building on his long-standing penchant for harmonic adventurousness and embrace of the melodic banjo style, he lit on one word: Excelsior. It’s a direct nod to a short Henry Wadsworth Longfellow…

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Jerry Douglas

Photo by  Scott Simontacchi One of the most innovative musicians and gifted producers of his generation, Jerry Douglas is at the point in his career of fifty years when he can do whatever he wants. A fifteen-time Grammy winner and the ten-time recipient of IBMA’s “Dobro Player of the Year” award, Douglas—along with Josh Graves,…

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The Henhouse Prowlers (left to right) Jon Goldfine, Jake Howard, Chris Dollar, Ben Wright

Putting the I in IBMA

Photos by Ben Wright With the release of their latest album Lead and Iron and after more than nineteen years as a band, Chicago-based Henhouse Prowlers has settled on the right combination. They started as a six-piece band playing every Tuesday night at a neighborhood bar on the north side of Chicago. As they started…

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