Articles

Reprinted from Bluegrass Unlimited Magazine November 1977, Volume 12, Number 5 There are many young pickers in bluegrass and traditional music; child prodigies are visible in every field of endeavor, not only music. What is unusual is a teenager who can do it all musically, handling virtually every traditional instrument as well as singing, arranging,…

Reprinted from Bluegrass Unlimited Magazine November 1979, Volume 14, Number 5 EDITOR’S NOTE: As the right hand man off and on with the late Lester Flatt, Curly Seckler has been one of the true unsung heros of bluegrass music. His roots go back to the mid 1930’s and he has been a strong force in…

Reprinted from Bluegrass Unlimited Magazine October 1989, Volume 24, Number4 Whereas bluegrass band leaders and some musicians have long had an enduring quality about them—Bill Monroe being only the most obvious— continuity of personnel in bands is much less common. One quite atypical group in bluegrass music that has long endured with a consistent quality…

Queries Q: Does anyone know how Margie Sullivan of the Sullivan Family is doing. I know Enoch passed away, but haven’t heard anything on Margie? Still think she is one of the best female bluegrass gospel singers ever. Thanks. – John Bond, via email. A: We were able to contact a family member who reported…

By Some of the Best Musicians in Bluegrass My first opportunity to see J.D. Crowe perform was at the Stone Valley Bluegrass Festival, a short-lived event that took place in the late 1970s alongside the beautiful Whitewater River near West Harrison, Indiana. I did not get to meet Crowe, however, until almost 20 years later. …

A Sixty-Four Year Friendship Tight three-part vocal harmonies are a trademark of bluegrass music.  One of the most famous vocal trios to ever step on a bluegrass stage was formed in November of 1957 when Paul Williams joined J.D. Crowe and Jimmy Martin as a member of Jimmy Martin and the Sunny Mountain Boys.  …