Articles

Sponsor of Multifaceted Enrichment and Opportunity The June issue of Bluegrass Unlimited included an article about the history and summer Traditions Weeks of Common Ground on the Hill, an initiative founded thirty years ago by Walt Michael on the campus of McDaniel College in Westminster, Maryland.  That article promised this concluding part two to feature…

The Colorful Origins of the Songs of Bluegrass Music Bluegrass roots run deep. Many of the songs picked and sung on bluegrass stages predate the band members by generations. Several sailed across the ocean with the early immigrants from England, Scotland and Ireland. As settlers ventured out from Jamestown and nearby villages, some headed toward…

Photos Courtesy of The Gold Tone Group In 1961 Chuck Ogsbury and friends started the Ode Banjo Company and made banjos under that name until 1966 when the company was sold to Baldwin Piano.  In the summer of 1971, Chuck and three other partners—Ed Woodward, Kelly McNish and Ken Whelpton—started the Ome Banjo Company.  Their…

Sadie’s Newest Sister Photo By Stephen Cannoy When we featured the powerhouse bluegrass band Sister Sadie on the cover of our June 2021 issue, the band had recently replaced original member Dale Ann Bradley with Jaelee Roberts (see article on page 38).  When Tina Adair left the band she was replaced with Mary Meyer and then…

“I’m a bluegrass baby,” declared 23-year-old Jaelee Roberts, lead singer/guitarist with Sister Sadie and nominee for IBMA’s 2024 Female Vocalist of the Year, recipient of SPBGMA’s 2023 Vocalist of the Year and Album of the Year, nominee for IBMA’s 2022 New Artist of the Year, and recipient of IBMA’s 2021 Momentum Vocalist of the Year….

A Songwriter’s Songwriter Photos by Michael G. Stewart Tom Paxton has been an integral part of the songwriting and folk music community since the early 1960’s Greenwich Village scene, and continues to be a primary influence on today’s performers. The Chicago native came to New York via Oklahoma, which he considers to be his home…