The Tradition

In the Mail: Bill Monroe Photo Revisited The 1944 photo of Bill Monroe and his Blue Grass Boys, George D. Hay, and Uncle Dave Macon (as featured in the November 2025 “Notes & Queries”) elicited several responses. Eddie Page from Florida State University wrote that he had “just received my current issue of Bluegrass Unlimited…

Although he left us when he was far too young, at the age of 58, Don Reno made an enormous impact on bluegrass music.  His work with the Morris Brothers, starting when he was just fourteen years old, his work with Bill Monroe after Scruggs left Monroe’s band, and his time spent with Arthur “Guitar…

In Dan Miller’s wonderful and thorough retrospective article on Don Reno found elsewhere in this edition of BU, he gets into the music side of this amazing IBMA Hall of Fame artist.  Here, after wonderful interviews with his sons, Ronnie, Don Wayne, and Dale Reno, I try to unveil Don Reno as a man and…

Q: Can you please help? Since County Sales folded, I have been unable to find a good source for bluegrass CDs. Yes, I know about Amazon and Walmart, but County offered a single source with good service, fair prices, and multi-item discounts. And yes, I could order directly from the artists, but that would result…

A Life of Music, Stories, and Connections Roscoe VanBuren “Buddy” Hogan, Jr. (August 26, 1935 – October 13, 2025) was a man whose life was deeply intertwined with the world of country and bluegrass music. Although he frequently joked with family and friends that he was a “legend in his own mind,” Buddy lived a…

Q: The very first time I ever saw Dr. Ralph Stanley, it was late ‘60s to early ‘70s at a German club in Dover, New Jersey: Germania Park. There is NO info on this in ANY history. I would like to know what the date was if anyone has it. I did talk to Ralph…