The Artists

Bands Blurring the Lines of Bluegrass “Roots music incorporates so many different cultures that it is bound for a glorious future,” says Julie Gussaroff, vocalist and bassist of the Sweet Lillies.  “Our place is right in the middle of it, alongside everyone else.” Gussaroff’s statement, while a recognition of the Sweet Lillies’ place in the…

Photos by Michael Weintrob In life, as in love, knowing when and how to make a change is crucial. For Mason Via, the youngest member of Old Crow Medicine Show, leaving the well-established band to focus on a solo career followed serious deliberation. Shortly after making the break official, Via released “Hey Don’t Go,” which…

Fifty-Seven Years on Stage and Still Going Strong When a writer for the Wall Street Journal reviewed Rhonda Vincent’s first Rounder release, Back Home Again (2000), proclaiming Vincent to be the “New Queen of Bluegrass,” that reviewer could not have predicted how long the “new” queen’s reign would last.  The music industry tends to be…

Songwriter & So Much More North Carolina-born and raised, Jim Lauderdale has devoted his life to music. Not only is he a singer, he is a prolific songwriter. For his eleventh bluegrass album, he collaborated with the Po’ Ramblin’ Boys. The Long and Lonesome Letting Go (2023) features twelve powerful bluegrass tunes that Jim Lauderdale co-wrote…

Dives Into No Fear You might think it would send shivers down the spine of a teenaged Maddie Dalton joining one of bluegrass music’s hottest acts, Sister Sadie, and that’s exactly what it did. On top of auditioning for the 3-time IBMA “Vocal Group of the Year” and making her Grand Ole Opry debut on…

Fiddling and Singing New Colors of Bluegrass With the March 2024 release of Colors, her second album for the Mountain Home Music label, Newton, North Carolina-based band leader Carley Arrowood is singing and fiddling her way into the hearts of a growing fan base. After graduating from high school, Arrowood toured the world as a…