The Venue

The Infamous Stringdusters. // Photo by Alex Culbreth

Way Down Upon the Suwannee River

Beth and Randy Judy’s nationally recognized music festivals have changed the lives of many and changed names from MagnoliaFest (held in October) and Suwannee SpringFest (held in March) to Suwannee Roots Revival and Suwannee Spring Reunion respectively. While I’ve always considered all four of these festivals to be one and the same, I used to…

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Eleven year old Oliver Mosely

From Stages to Campgrounds

Old Settler’s Music Festival Sustains a Robust Community Photos by Steve Levine/stl.images      The 38th Annual Old Settler’s Music Festival, happening this year over the final weekend in April,  was not just the latest installment of the longest-running festival anywhere near Austin, Texas. It was not just an eclectic mix of beloved and outstanding “roots”…

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Photo Courtesy of Planet Bluegrass

The Telluride Bluegrass Festival

Over 50 Years of Broadening Bluegrass Boundaries Although bluegrass traditionalists may disagree, I feel that bluegrass music would not be as vibrant as it is today had the roots of the music not branched out in so many different directions.  Had the music remained bound to the repertoire, presentation, and style of the founding fathers,…

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John Paul (JP) Cormier, Stephanie Sullivan, Tammy Sullivan, Jerry Sullivan at the 1st Assembly of God Church, Bearden, Arkansas, May 1994

Bluegrass Gospel

From Brush Arbor To Bean Blossom And Beyond Within the expansive genre of bluegrass, gospel music is arguably more popular today than at any time in its history. Most of today’s bluegrass bands include gospel music on recordings and in stage shows, and some record all-bluegrass gospel albums. While the melding of bluegrass with spiritual…

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Photos By adam paris, ap imagery

The Bluegrass Unlimited

Workshop Weekend Over the weekend of February 7-8-9, the Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame and Museum in Owensboro, Kentucky held its first Bluegrass Unlimited Workshop Weekend.  Eight instructors traveled to Owensboro to teach a group of 50 eager students how to improve their picking and singing skills.  The instructors included Alan Munde (banjo), Maddie Denton…

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All photos Courtesy of Ross Willits, Executive Director of the Minnesota Bluegrass and Old-Time Association

45th Annual Minnesota Bluegrass Festival

Making Changes to Become Much More Than Just a Main Stage Event Tucked away in the Upper Midwest, just 90 miles from Minneapolis and due west of the massive and beautiful inland sea known as Lake Superior, the small town of Richmond has been the home of the Minnesota Bluegrass Festival for the last 23…

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