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Appalachian Smoke

The members of Appalachian Smoke all hail from the area of Southern Appalachia and their music invokes both the traditional and contemporary feelings and styles of the region. The band is BJ Taylor (mandolin, octave mandolin, vocals), Mikel Laws (banjo, guitar, vocals), Jamie Mason (guitar, banjo, vocals), Kenneth Rymer (resophonic guitar, vocals), and Tim Williams…

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Photo by ron petronko

The John Hartford Days Weekend and Julia Belle

The John Hartford Fiddle Tune Project, Volume 2Julia Belle: The John Hartford Fiddle Tune Project, Volume 2 One of the many reasons why John Hartford is on the cover of this issue of Bluegrass Unlimited is that in January 2025 there are two very special events that coincide with this John Hartford cover.  The first…

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A circa 1965 photo of Don Reno & the Tennessee Cut-Ups when Chuck Haney was a member of the band. From left to right: Chuck Haney, Ronnie Reno, Don Reno, Duck Austin, Jean Reno, and Ray Crisp.

Notes & Queries – January 2025

Q – I have a question for you about Don Reno’s two cousins “Chuck” and “Jay” Haney. Are they still living? If not, any idea when they passed away? Apparently, there’s not much mentioned about them in bluegrass, at least not that I’m aware of . . . besides being on the early recordings of…

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Mark Maggiolo playing banjo atop Mount Fujiyama, Japan in 1996.

Musician and Teacher In The Shadow of Bluegrass

Mark Maggiolo is an accomplished musician who plays most of the bluegrass instruments at a professional level. He has played with touring bands and taught music to hundreds of students through the years, but is not a household name. Mark was born in 1957 and spent his early childhood on a dairy farm in New…

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2025 Festival Guide

United States Arizona  Desert Bluegrass FestivalMarch 7-9, 2025 Gladden Farms Community Park12205 N Tangerine Farms RdMarana, Arizona 85653 520-245-6126desertbluegrass.org/marana-festival-2019 Pickin’ in the Pines Bluegrass Music Festival September 12-14, 2025 250 Garrison RdFlagstaff, Arizona 86005pickininthepines.org Arkansas Mountain View Fall  Bluegrass FestivalNovember 6-8, 2025 1032 Park AveMountain View, Arkansas 72211501-350-9676mountainviewbluegrass.com California  Parkfield Bluegrass FestivalMay 8-11, 2024 70410 Parkfield-Coalinga…

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I Heard The Morgan Bell

Brandon Godman is a fiddle player and luthier based in San Francisco, California. Originally from Kentucky, Godman spent time in Cincinnati and Nashville learning his playing and instrument making skills. Along the way he has played with such artists as Melvin Goins, Dale Ann Bradley, Doyle Lawson, and David Peterson, among others, and he has…

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