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IBMA 2024
Musicians and Community Support One Another Photos by Ricky Davis 2024 was preordained to be a bittersweet IBMA year, like a high school graduation, throwing caps in the air, fully realizing that the World of Bluegrass landscape as we knew it was about to change. After 12 years in Raleigh—a period long enough to be a…
Notes & Queries – December 2024
Q – What can you tell us about “Those Two Mirthquakes of Fun” called Shufly and Buckeye Sneezleweed who appeared with Bill Monroe at several shows in 1949? Joe Ross, Roseburg, Oregon. A – An advertisement for an October 21, 1948, show by Bill Monroe in West Helena, Arkansas, revealed Buckeye Sneezleweed to be Mac…
Collings’ Hill Country Guitars
Formally announced at this year’s IBMA, Collings’ Hill Country Series of guitars continues the company’s move to stretch the acoustic guitar envelope by re-instituting labor-intensive hand-building construction components. The product of more than 24 months of research and development (resulting in multiple prototypes for both the D and OM sizes), the Hill Country line is…
Journey of Faith
Photos by Lily Jack Photography Grammy-nominated songwriter Rick Lang has created not one, but now two staples of bluegrass gospel music with the release of Blue Collar Gospel on the heels of Gonna Sing, Gonna Shout. The New Hampshire native received a Grammy nod for Best Roots Gospel Album for GSGS. The title track was…
The New Sound of Bluegrass America
The story of one of America’s greatest bluegrass bands begins in Maine in the French-speaking home of Eric and Mildred LeBlanc. The LeBlanc family was of French-Canadian stock from New Brunswick, Canada, and they were a musical lot. Three of the LeBlanc sons were especially musical. Sometime around 1950, the family began using the Anglicized…
Mike Compton and Joe Newberry
Photo by Scott Simontacchi After fifteen years playing together, Mike Compton and Joe Newberry are releasing their first studio album Home in My Heart. The project combines new arrangements of old standards and original songs with a traditional flavor, delivered clean and spare. The result showcases their unique blend of vocal harmony and instrumental virtuosity….