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…

Don’t be fooled by the overalls and Mississippi River-stained drawl, Mike Compton is actually a hard-boiled, gum-shoed detective on a relentless cold case to uncover as much of Bill Monroe’s music legacy as possible, both his compositions and Monroe’s playing style. His ongoing comprehensive book of Monroe transcriptions, last we heard, was around 500 pages…

Touring with Bill Monroe was notoriously difficult. Still, with Monroe’s foundational place in the history of bluegrass, it was a rite of passage that many musicians were not only willing but eager to endure.  Monroe’s death in 1996 has of course shut the door to any future opportunities to tour with the “Father of Bluegrass.”…