The Tradition

The Innovator (June 21, 1938-March 19, 2025) Eddie Adcock was a native of Scottsville, Virginia, who was known for his inventive banjo and guitar playing, spot-on baritone singing, and membership in several award-winning cutting-edge bands. His career spanned over seven decades and was marked by significant contributions to bluegrass, folk, country, rock, and jazz music….

Part Two: Early Bluegrass Fiddling, Music Row Songwriting, and a Creative Family Band Fiddler Jim Lunsford’s musical pursuit of excellence and innovation in music took him all over the map, from his native Southeast to Nashville’s music industry, from California’s dancehalls to Vietnam’s U.S. military bases. By the early 1950s, some of the musicians Lunsford…

Part 1: Jim Lunsford: Growing music from the mountains and beyond At a Charlotte, North Carolina, studio in April 1954, 26-year-old Jimmy Lunsford cranked up wild fiddle solos on “Dixie Breakdown,” a tune he’d written with banjo innovator Don Reno. Lunsford’s presence on Don Reno & Red Smiley releases was just one of the creative…

Q – I am a big fan of Ernie Thacker and know that he was in Ralph Stanley’s band from 1988-1994. I am trying to find all the albums that feature him singing lead with Ralph Stanley & the Clinch Mountain Boys.  Do you happen to know the titles of the albums that Ernie was…

A West Virginia Bluegrass Legend’s Signature Song Revived for Modern Times by Kenny and Amanda Smith Pocahontas County is not only one of the most beautiful counties in West Virginia, it is one of the most nature-filled regions in all of the 400-year-old Appalachian Mountain chain. The county, which contains the headwaters of eight rivers,…

For many new adherents to folk music in the early 1950s, one of THE go-to collections was the Anthology of American Folk Music that was assembled by Harry Smith. The 80-track set, complete with a well-annotated booklet, served as a roots music primer for a generation of folk music enthusiasts. Less well known, and perhaps…