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Parabolic Tension Strings

When you build the signature guitar of one of bluegrass music’s greatest ever players, Tony Rice, it’s no surprise that the Santa Cruz Guitar Company puts equal attention into the design, quality and production of their in-house guitar string brand as they did in Rice’s personal instrument.      Santa Cruz Parabolic Tension Strings incorporate…

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One of the many tribute band configurations performing at the Keith Whitley tribute (left to right): Andrew Rigsby, Don Rigsby, Ralph Stanley II, Dwight Whitley, and Randall Hibbit. Photo by Angela Marx

With a Tribute to His Hall of Fame Career

In May of 2022 it was announced that Keith Whitley was to be inducted as the newest member of the Country Music Hall of Fame, with thousands of his fans and followers celebrating the news. But back in eastern Kentucky, plans for a musical celebration and a tribute had already been in the works for…

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Katie Glassman’s Fiddle School

Photos By Erin Nutini Katie Glassman’s Fiddle School (fiddleschool.com) has everything that you’d want in an online music teaching platform.   The site offers instruction from two world-class fiddler players who thoroughly know their subject and expertly present their lessons in a well-designed, step-by-step teaching method that has something to offer fiddle players of all…

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Jack Shannon and Jim Hurst

Same Old Moon

By Jack Shannon “Same Old Moon,” written by Jack Shannon, stands out from more traditional bluegrass subject matters of trains, murder, and whippoorwills. Sweet, thought-provoking, and a touch whimsical, the song was recorded most notably by Jim Hurst (Looking Glass, 2014). Shannon also recorded it on his album, The Bloomingdale Boys (2018), which Hurst produced….

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Gold Tone  “Bluegrass Heart”

Béla Fleck Signature Banjo I am excited about the new Béla Fleck Model from Gold Tone that today’s top 5-string banjo player, Béla Fleck and Wayne Rogers from Gold Tone have designed. Now anyone can take advantage of Béla’s expertise in tone and set up, which is extensive. Wayne explained to me all the detailed…

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photo by Victoria Brake

Morgan Brake  Releases Debut EP

Stuck Loving You How are young actors in Hollywood different from young musicians in bluegrass? While the answers are many, one big difference is that child actors often end up on those “Where Are They Now?” specials, often showing their mugs shots for breaking and entering; young bluegrass musicians tend to turn into adult bluegrass…

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