Articles
IssueM Articles
Way Down Upon the Suwannee River
Beth and Randy Judy’s nationally recognized music festivals have changed the lives of many and changed names from MagnoliaFest (held in October) and Suwannee SpringFest (held in March) to Suwannee Roots Revival and Suwannee Spring Reunion respectively. While I’ve always considered all four of these festivals to be one and the same, I used to…
The Making of Rounder 0044
Reprinted from Bluegrass Unlimited Magazine September 2015, Volume 50, Number 3 Four decades ago, J.D. Crowe & the New South went into the studio to record one of bluegrass music’s most influential albums. The band consisted of J.D. Crowe, Ricky Skaggs, Jerry Douglas, Tony Rice, and Bobby Slone, and their 1975 eponymous album is commonly…
The Travelin’ McCourys Blaze Their Own Trail
Reprinted from Bluegrass Unlimited Magazine June 2010, Volume 44, Number 12 The Travelin’ McCourys have a couple things they’d like you to know. First, despite rumors, Del is alive and well and not planning to retire for a long, long time. Second, they’re getting tired of those “Del-less” McCoury Band jokes. It all started a…
The Virginia Squires — Show Band Extraordinary
Reprinted from Bluegrass Unlimited Magazine January 1985, Volume 19, Number 7 In terms of superior musicianship, highly skilled vocal arrangements and broad audience appeal, the Virginia Squires are absolutely unsurpassed as a contemporary bluegrass show band and a tough act to follow in any musical environment. Members of the Virginia Squires describe their music as…
The Seldom Scene — All This And Fun, Too
Reprinted from Bluegrass Unlimited Magazine December 1994, Volume 29, Number 6 The Seldom Scene got together with the avowed purpose of “playing for fun,” the band’s bio reads. “Yet, with this band’s tremendous aggregation of talent, it’s hardly surprising that what started as their ‘weekly card game’ soon became a sustaining career.” Twenty-three years later,…
Notes & Queries – June 2025
Q – I heard a song on the radio about an old truck driver telling a story about losing his family due to his addiction to shooting pinball. I was able to locate the song later online; it’s called “Pinball Machine” and the artist is Lonnie Irving. It’s not really a bluegrass record but it…