Articles
IssueM Articles
Good Music, Good Friends: The Country Gentlemen
Reprinted from Bluegrass Unlimited Magazine June 1978, Volume 12, Number 12 On July 4, 1978, the Country Gentlemen will begin their twenty-second year of innovative and trend-setting music. Great changes have come to bluegrass in the last twenty-one years, and it is the Country Gentlemen who are one of the first group of musicians who…
The Banjo in America
As the tape rolls on Bill Evans’ one-man show, The Banjo in America, it’s clear that one thing Evans loves about his instrument of choice is that it contains multitudes. Evans, a highly-regarded bluegrass professional with five decades of performing, teaching, and recording under his belt, covers a lot of musical ground in little more…
Ferguson’s Farewell: The Irish Connection
For a number of years, Pennsylvania-based bluegrass veteran Gary Ferguson made musical sojourns to Ireland where he forged fast friendships and enduring musical bonds with some of the Green Isle’s most talented singer-songwriters. This exquisite bluegrass/Americana-tinged album marks the culmination of these partnerships. On many cuts, Ferguson generously steps back into a supporting role, thereby…
Wildest Dreams
Bell Buckle Echo Valley is the Anderson family based in Western Pennsylvania. They are Lizzy on vocals and guitar, Emily on vocals and fiddle, Isabelle on vocals and mandolin, Olivia on vocals, banjo and fiddle, Emmaline on bass (also plays mandolin and guitar), Dolly on mandolin, and brother David on banjo. Sister Emily is the…
New Kid on the Block of Traditional Music Programs
Warren Wilson College While it has only been around for a short time, Warren Wilson College’s Traditional Music program is well on its way to being a go-to destination for Appalachian culture immersion. Now offering a major (BA) and a minor in music with a concentration in Traditional Music, the program features “a unique concentration…
Calling You From My Mountain
Peter Rowan was working on a project during the pandemic that was supposed to be a tribute to Hank Williams and his alias, Luke the Drifter. He changed gears and the reimagined product is Calling You From My Mountain. It’s hard to imagine that the original idea could have topped this one. Rowan wrote seven…