The Tradition

Bluegrass  Incubator Many times, people who are known as but a footnote in history actually have vibrant lives that belie their postscript status. Such is the case with Roy Sykes, whose claim to fame is that his band, the Blue Ridge Mountain Boys, provided the career launch pad for Stanley Brothers. Less well known is…

Queries: Q: There is a gospel tune the Gillis Brothers recorded which, as far as I can tell, has not been recorded elsewhere: “I Always Call Your Name.” I and my bluegrass friends LOVE the tune, but we are seriously struggling with understanding the lyrics in the second verse. We are missing the second and…

I consider myself to be just an ordinary soul. I never reached the national spotlight. But as I grow older, I often look back on the many aspects of my life and bluegrass music has been a major influence on how I lived and it has been a source for many accomplishments and treasures. A…

Robert Lewis “Zeke” Hutchison, banjoist, singer and family man, died August 2nd, 2021, after a long illness. Born on September 13th, 1948 (Bill Monroe’s 37th birthday) in Belmont County, Ohio into a musical family, he made a special mark on the music scene in the upper Ohio River valley as well as nationwide. He is survived…

Country music legend Don Maddox has passed away, at age 98, on September 12, 2021. The last surviving member of The Maddox Brothers and Rose, Don was a fiddler and singer who certainly leaves a lasting legacy and impact on the genesis of country music.  Don Maddox was born on December 7, 1922. At a…

Notes In response to a query in the August 2021 “Notes & Queries” concerning bluegrass artists who have received honorary doctorate degrees, Larry Stidom wrote that “I seem to remember Ricky Skaggs and Larry Cordle getting some kind of honorary degrees from Morehead State University. Maybe just recognition.” It turns out that Ricky Skaggs did,…