Articles

San Francisco’s Bluegrass Home In 1969, a man bought a bar in San Francisco. The man was Paul Lampert and the bar was a run-down joint called the Paragon, located at 3251 Scott Street in San Francisco’s Marina District. After a remodeling job, the bar reopened, reborn as Paul’s Saloon, with seating for slightly more…

In broad strokes, two family trees define the evolution of playing fiddle tunes and bluegrass leads with a flatpick on acoustic guitar. One tree sprouts in Deep Gap, N.C., where Doc Watson’s majesty led to players like Bryan Sutton and Billy Strings. The other branch originated in southern California, where young Clarence White took influences…

The musical journey of Dave Richardson has gone from Mingo Junction, Ohio to the Front Range of Colorado with a detour through Hawaii and California. Listening to this new album it’s obvious that he’s gathered inspirations all along the way and with the availability of virtual instruments and recording software his musical explorations and imaginations…

March 3rd, 2023 would have been Doc Watson’s 100th birthday.  His influence on bluegrass and old-time music is undeniable. For guitar players, learning to flatpick Doc’s version of “Blackberry Blossom” and fingerpick “Deep River Blues” was almost considered a rite of passage.  Countless players spent countless hours slowing Doc’s records down so they could steal…

Celebrating the 100th anniversary of Doc Watson’s birth, FLi Records/Budde Music have released an impressive tribute CD that both honors the indelible legacy of the guitarist and singer from Deep Gap, North Carolina, while involving musicians and styles far from Doc’s country roots.       I Am A Pilgrim features tracks from bluegrass stars…

Queries  I just borrowed a copy of a release on John’s Gospel Records, RI-1635, 12” vinyl 33 1/3 RPM.  Side A appears to be the Stanley Brothers with the same song list as Wango 103, while Side B is Clyde Moody, the Tate Brothers & the Gospel Trio, along with recitations by Ray Davis.  There…