Articles

I have known William (Bill) Bay—son of Mel Bay Publications founder Mel Bay—for many years.  He was a regular columnist to Flatpicking Guitar Magazine, which I published and edited for twenty years (1996-2016).  Bill is a very talented writer of instrumental guitar music and an equally talented arranger of instrumental guitar music.  He has published…

Authentic Unlimited’s mandolin player, Jesse Brock, has won the Mandolin Player of the Year Award at the IBMA Awards Show three times (2009, 2015 and 2024).  He has performed with some of the top bands in bluegrass music, including the Lynn Morris Band, Chris Jones & The Night Drivers, Michael Cleveland and Flamekeeper, Audie Blaylock…

Before the music that we know as “bluegrass” gained its moniker, the early country, mountain, and rural music of the 193os through the 1950s was often referred to as “hillbilly music.”  Historians tracing the growth in prominence and popularity of this music will typically discuss early “Barn Dance” radio programs such as The Grand Ole…

To say that the new album Product of Colorado by Slay and Stinson starts off with a bang would be a serious understatement. The opening track “Way Too Wide Awake” comes ripping out of the speakers like a house on fire. Listeners get a taste of the musical prowess of the band as Nick Einterz…

Marsh Lights is a project created by singer-songwriter Colby Crehan of Vermont. After spending time living in both Europe and the West Coast, Crehan settled in Vermont and played for a time with the Bluegrass Gospel Project and PossumHaw. After leaving PossumHaw, Crehan took her singing and songwriting talents a step further and formed Marsh…

Fiddling Gopher Addis (or, More on Don Reno Sidemen) In last month’s column, we fielded a query concerning two musicians who worked with Don Reno and Red Smiley in the early 1950s: Chuck and Jay Haney. The Haneys had the distinction of appearing on Reno & Smiley’s first recording session together, on January 15, 1952…