The Sound
Lizzy Long:Fiddle Maker
Most people know Lizzy Long as the multi-instrumentalist, multi-talented singer, songwriter and sidekick of Little Roy Lewis. Like her “Pap,” as she calls him, she is a ball of creative energy and spends part of her limited free time making fiddles. In her woodworking shop, the Lincolnton, Georgia native labors to take pieces of solid…
Bluegrass Music at Owensboro Community and Technical College
Just a stone’s throw from Rosine, Kentucky — the birthplace of Bill Monroe — Owensboro has long been known as an important landmark on the road map of bluegrass music. The International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA) was born in Owensboro and the spectacular Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame and Museum and ROMP music festival both…
Eastern Kentucky University Bluegrass Ensemble
Students attending Eastern Kentucky University (EKU) in Richmond, Kentucky can consider themselves extremely fortunate if they have any interest in learning to play bluegrass music. Although the university does not have a bluegrass music degree program, they do offer a Bluegrass Ensemble course and the person who teaches that course is multi-instrumentalist and singer Pam…
The Belmont University Bluegrass Ensemble
The past academic year has been marked by top-shelf performance experiences for members of Belmont University Bluegrass Ensemble. On April 9, the group made their debut on the stage of the Grand Ole Opry, an ultimate musician’s bucket list item. Ryan Joseph, director of the ensemble and coordinator of strings at the university, has played…
Who’s That Knocking At My Door
“I’m not a writer of songs,” said Pat Enright, 79, who, despite his declaration, was indeed the writer who penned the decidedly bluegrass song, “Who’s That Knocking At My Door,” first recorded by The Dreadful Snakes on the band’s only album, Snakes Alive! (1983, Rounder Records). Humble to a fault perhaps, Enright’s “only” solo write…
Patch of Blue by Claire Lynch
A great song can be deeply personal yet decidedly universal in its ability to touch listeners. “Patch of Blue,” written by Claire Lynch and released on her award-winning Dear Sister album (2013, Compass Records), is a case in point. It wasn’t a hit single. It isn’t the fastest, grassiest number on the album. Instead, it’s…