Articles

Photos by Haley Gjertsen Mandolin whiz Ashby Frank who lays down the groove for progressive bluegrass group Mountain Heart has spent a quarter of a century recording and touring for other people. But in all that time he hasn’t used his abundance of talent as a singer/songwriter/instrumentalist to showcase his own music until now. His…

Sound systems are an integral part of any musical event. No matter how talented the musicians, they are dependent on competent sound engineers to make sure their instruments and voices are heard in the best possible way. North Carolina’s Blue Ridge Sound, owned and operated by John Holder, is a valuable commodity for promoters and…

My love for everything mandolin started 60 years ago at age 16, when I bought my first Orpheum A model .  Since that time I have bought and sold many mandolins through the years. Oddly enough, my playing doesn’t come close to what it should be after all that time!  This story is not about…

Ogden Heart is a family trio consisting of sister/brother Isabel and Evans Humphreys along with their mother, songwriter Kathryn Caine. Due to the lack of any liner notes (other than song titles), a search of the internet was made for their web site (below) where information about them was found. Isabel is the lead singer…

Coulee Creek features singer-songwriter Sarah Jackson and poet Rita Mae Reese. The group also includes Beth Becker (fiddle, cello), Michael James (resonator guitar), David Strudthoff (banjo), Tom Baker (guitar, bass), and Cori Vought (vocals). Guest artists are Brett Huus (harmonica), Terry Nirva (cajon), and Josh Rabie (mandolin). Most of them hail from the Wisconsin/Minnesota area…

University of Illinois Press Although not as well-known as the Southeastern United States, the Ozarks region of Missouri and Arkansas has long been a hotbed of fine old-time fiddling, folk ballad singing, and bluegrass music. One of the primary reasons that so many ballads and tunes from the Ozarks have been faithfully preserved over the…