Articles

This Young Lady is the Whole Package! If you have yet to hear music by bluegrass singer, songwriter and guitarist, Caroline Owens, you will soon…and be prepared to be impressed. Last year Caroline was signed to Billy Blue Records—first as a writer with Billy Blue Publishing and then as a recording artist. As this issue of Bluegrass…

Making Changes to Become Much More Than Just a Main Stage Event Tucked away in the Upper Midwest, just 90 miles from Minneapolis and due west of the massive and beautiful inland sea known as Lake Superior, the small town of Richmond has been the home of the Minnesota Bluegrass Festival for the last 23…

If there was a bluegrass mandolin hall of fame, there is no doubt that John Reischman would have a plaque on the wall.  He is not only an extremely innovative player, but his clean notes, rich tone, fluidity and expert use of dynamics are what every serious mandolin player strives to achieve.  He has set…

Béla Fleck, Casey Driessen and Bryan Sutton Lead Their Own Music Camps in the Western North Carolina Mountains  The mountain town of Brevard, North Carolina, is located less than a half hour’s drive from Asheville, and while the latter city still provides the bigger music scene known worldwide, Brevard is rising as well. Some of…

Finding Her Own Voice Photos by Laura E. Partain With her solid bass skills and impeccable vocals, two-time IBMA Bass Player of the Year Vickie Vaughn is an in-demand hired gun. Her job is to create the sound other performers want to capture on records or on stage. But when she went into the studio…

Reprinted from Bluegrass Unlimited Magazine August, 1988, Volume 23, Number 2 If someone were to say “weary hearts” to you, you’d probably think that they were referring to a new romance novel or day-time soap opera. However, anyone familiar with bluegrass music knows of the song, “The Weary Heart You Stole Away,” recorded by the…