Articles
IssueM Articles
A Quarter Century of Bluegrass Fiddling — Clarence “Tater” Tate
Reprinted from Bluegrass Unlimited Magazine November 1973, Volume 8, Number 5 Among bluegrass musicians, fiddlers have frequently achieved special attention. At a number of festivals in recent years fiddlers such as Tex Logan, Chubby Wise or Howdy Forrester make guest appearances and occasionally several fiddlers perform at once on stage. Not even the banjo —…
Notes & Queries – November 2024
Q – Did the Stanley Brothers, or Ralph Stanley for that matter, ever record with a Dobro? I’ve got just about everything the Stanley Brothers recorded, including the Rich-R-Tone stuff, the Columbia, Mercury, and King recordings. I don’t remember them recording with a Dobro. Bill Monroe, Lester Flatt & Earl Scruggs pre-mid ‘50s, and Reno…
The Basic Goodness of J. W. Gallagher
Reprinted from Bluegrass Unlimited Magazine August 1979, Volume 14, Number 2 A couple of summers ago in Harris, North Carolina, guitar maker John William Gallagher sat on a board stretch across some concrete blocks for seating at a bluegrass festival and remarked, “I don’t play myself, but I take pleasure in others enjoying what I…
Good Measure
Buncombe Turnpike gets their band name from the old 19th century road that ran from Tennessee to Greenville, South Carolina as it passed through Ashville, North Carolina, the town the band calls home. The group includes founder Tom Godleski (bass, harmonica), George Buckner (banjo), Don Lewis (fiddle), David Hyatt (guitar, banjo), Korey Warren (bass, mandolin,…
Heading South
Jason Hannan is originally from Mississippi, but resides in Frederick, Maryland, where he is a singer, songwriter and instrumentalist, and has played with several D.C. area groups like Clear Spring, Crop Dusters, and others. He plays guitar, mandolin, and bass, and he is joined on this project by his wife, Michelle Hannan (vocals, harmonica), Howard…
The Winning Hand
Established over forty years ago, The Lonesome River Band is known for its consistent sound and song presentation. The band has gone through many member changes over the years, but both Sammy Shelor (banjo) and Mike Hargrove (fiddle) have been there for most of those years. Current member Jesse Smathers (vocal, guitar, mandolin) joined when…