Articles

On Sept 9, 2022 the bluegrass and mandolin worlds lost a true icon. I would dare say most modern mandolin players have been influenced by Herschel even if it was unknowingly so. He made a name for himself in his early years with the The Boys From Shiloh and The Dixie Gentlemen, along with three…

Introducing Kids to Bluegrass Music One of the best ways to ensure that bluegrass music continues to grow and blossom in the future is to introduce the music to young children.  Time has proven that when kids are exposed to bluegrass at an early age, it is likely to stay with them the rest of…

A Half Century of Great Music For fifty iterations since 1972, the legendary Walnut Valley Festival in Winfield, Kansas, has crowned national and international champions in instruments as diverse as hammered dulcimer and fingerstyle guitar, banjo and autoharp, and of course the event’s crown jewel, the National Flatpicking Guitar Championships. But the real champion is…

Two Decades  of Roads Traveled Edgar Loudermilk…Edgar Loudermilk…you might be thinking to yourself—I know I’ve heard that name but can’t quite place him.  (The Louvin Brothers’ real surname was Loudermilk, so perhaps that’s what you’re thinking.)  Often the case for band leaders is to start as sidemen in prominent bands.  Loudermilk stepped out in 2013…

“Wha’d I Miss?” Photo by Lance Velarde Photography David Parmley gained a reputation as one of the strongest lead vocalists in bluegrass music while working with his father, Don Parmley, for many years in The Bluegrass Cardinals—and then later continuing with his own bands Continental Divide, followed by Cardinal Tradition.  Due to a health issue…

ToneSlabs is the biggest advance in flatpack technology since the launch of BlueChip picks 14 years ago. That’s a bold statement, to be sure, and we don’t make it lightly.      For months, Bluegrass Unlimited has been testing a variety of ToneSlabs picks in various shapes and thicknesses in the field at Winfield and…