The Venue
The Mountain City Fiddlers’ Convention Celebrates 100 Years
Photo Courtesy of Roy M. Andrade The tiny Appalachian town of Mountain City, Tennessee (population around 2,500), sits in the northeastern corner of the state, about halfway between Bristol, Tennessee, and Boone, North Carolina. At 2,418 feet, it is the highest incorporated town in Tennessee, and the county seat for Johnson County, in one of…
The IBMA Celebrates 40 Years as a Bluegrass Music Organization
We Interview Some of the People Involved with All Stages of the IBMA’s History Photos Courtesy of IBMA It was in 1985 that the International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA) was officially formed, which makes 2025 its 40th anniversary year. In this article, we are not going to do a deep dive into the logistics and…
Hammons Family Banjo & Fiddle Contest and World Class Jam Returns to Rural West Virginia
Photos by Will Price When it comes to the rich history of American roots music that collectively pre-dated and led to the creation of bluegrass in 1945, local culture and geography were key to different styles arising. That phenomenon often happens with music that organically evolves, no matter the genre. In the 1700s and 1800s,…
The Bluegrass Underground Bangkok Weekly Jam
Spreads the Love of Our Music To Southeast Asia Photos By Sunny Sachdev Bluegrass music has always existed within this overall modern age of technology. While the roots of bluegrass music go back centuries, the genre solidified when Bill Monroe brought Earl Scruggs into his Blue Grass Boys band in late 1945. At that point,…
A Visit to Bill Monroe’s Hometown of Rosine, Kentucky
Photos Courtesy of Ohio County Tourism A visit to the hometown of one of your music heroes may not always sound like it would be worth the time, effort, or expense. These days most small towns in the United States all look about the same. You might find a quaint, but somewhat run-down, downtown area,…
Biscuits & Banjos
Exploring the Black Roots of Bluegrass, Old Time and Americana The first Biscuits and Banjos festival took place in Durham, North Carolina during the weekend of April 25th-27th, 2025. The festival was initiated by Rhiannon Giddens and is dedicated to the celebration and exploration of Black music, art, and culture in her home state of…