The Sound
Tradition & Innovation
Covering All—Or at Least Some Of—the Basses Once upon a time the A. P. Carter Family and Jimmie Rodgers were revolutionaries. A traditionalist scholar once complained that—by introducing guitar into songs that had been previously sung unaccompanied—the Carters just ruined them. Jimmie Rodgers featured jazz players and Hawaiian musicians on some of his recordings, and…
Tell Me You’re Not Leaving
Photo by Joe Worthem It’s been a few years since Volume Five cut the poignant “Tell Me You’re Not Leaving” for Milestones, the band’s seventh record for label Mountain Fever. Far from a traditional bluegrass barn burner—something this band can get around—the slower, reflective song reached #2 on Bluegrass Today charts. Lead singer Glen Harrell…
Bill Evans and the 5-string Banjo
Photo by Snap Jackson Photography One constant in Bill Evans’ 40-plus-year banjo career is helping others learn to play and listen to music. He began teaching in his hometown, Norfolk, VA in the 1970s, while still in high school, not long after he picked up the five string. Evans remembers sitting in the living room…
Dave Nichols
A Master Luthier and Inlay Artist Who Keeps No Secrets Photos By Dale Cahill fter returning from an extended tour in Vietnam and receiving his Doctorate in Psychiatry, Dave Nichols started working at St. Lawrence Psychiatric Center. Shortly thereafter, Nichols set up his first inlay/ luthier shop, Custom Pearl Inlay. Since then, Nichols has perfected his…
Rounder Bluegrass
The First Fifty Years All Photos Courtesy of Rounder Records Archives I bought my first Rounder album in 1974. I was a recent convert to bluegrass and Rounder was likewise a new entry in the field of bluegrass and old-time record labels. I continued to buy more Rounder albums and my immersion in bluegrass grew deeper and…
Perfect Mix For Success
In the world of songwriting, finding the right co-writer can be a difficult task. Finding the right fit and building a relationship with other writers requires patience and is often compared to a marriage. Many songwriters today prefer to spend time together in person creating lyrics to a melody. Publishing companies often unite writers in…