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Mural in downtown Lansing, North Carolina of Ola Belle Reed, created and painted by Joni Ray of the Ashe County Arts Council. Photo Courtesy of Cathy Fink.

The Songwriting of Ola Belle Reed

“High on a mountain, wind blowing free  Thinking about the days that used to be High on a mountain, standing all alone Wondering where the years of my life have flown” 1 These iconic lyrics by Ola Belle Reed are a right of passage for any bluegrass singer or band.  “I’ve endured, I’ve endured, How…

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My Favorite Memories

Remembering my Friend, Bobby Osborne 1992 I first met Bobby in 1992 while attending the Old Joe Clark Bluegrass Festival in Renfro Valley, Kentucky. This was my first time attending a bluegrass festival and I was carrying around my first guitar for all the artists to sign. I had upgraded to a better instrument so…

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UnXpected

Poetman PMR 70088 Now thirteen, Phoebe White is a young lady from Appalachia who grew up influenced by the Western music performances of folks like Roy and Dale Rogers, Patsy Cline, Patsy Montana, and Jimmie Rogers. She has become a skilled singer and yodeler and plays guitar, mandolin, ukulele, piano and more. And, she has…

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Ogden Heart

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…

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Excelsior

Besides being one of the most gifted banjo players on the scene, as well as a polished composer, Alan Munde is also someone who apparently knows how to have a good time and share his upbeat vibes with others. Munde has said that “playing music is the most fun of all.” The genesis of his…

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Smoky Mountain Favorites

Mountain Fever MFR230200 In 2019, while Troy Boone and the late Aaron “Frosty” Foster were regularly performing at a local Tennessee distillery, they decided to put together an album project of the popular tunes they had been playing. However, it was near the end of these sessions that Foster passed away. Foster had played guitar,…

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