Articles

There’s more to harmony than simply playing the right notes. Some musicians have that special something, hard to name but impossible to overlook. Jason Carter and Michael Cleveland’s latest project Carter and Cleveland—their first collaboration of its kind—is Exhibit A.The friendship between the two fiddlers began back in their teens. When Cleveland was about thirteen,…

Celebrating 25 Years The Minnesota-based bluegrass band, Monroe Crossing, is celebrating its 25th year in the entertainment business. Three founding members, Matt Thompson-mandolin, Lisa Fuglie-fiddle, and Mark Anderson-bass, were joined by Derek Johnson-guitar in 2011. The group utilizes a cadre of very talented banjo players, all of whom are alumni of the group, most recently…

Q – I am a big fan of Ernie Thacker and know that he was in Ralph Stanley’s band from 1988-1994. I am trying to find all the albums that feature him singing lead with Ralph Stanley & the Clinch Mountain Boys.  Do you happen to know the titles of the albums that Ernie was…

In a bluegrass world where bands see regular turnovers, Mark Stoffel is an anomaly.  For the past 16 years, the mandolin ace for Chris Jones and the Night Drivers has been laying down a solid chop on tours across the country and with his creative innovations on sevenof the group’s CDs. After growing up in…

Reprinted from Bluegrass Unlimited Magazine April 1995, Volume 29, Number 10 J.D. Crowe has been described as a “musician’s musician” and indeed the subtlety of his playing and his clever innovations are the type of things frequently best appreciated by other musicians. Yet Crowe’s popularity has been far from limited to pickers. The enthusiastic response…

Reprinted from Bluegrass Unlimited Magazine March 1977, Volume 11, Number 9 Although Jimmie Skinner has not been a bluegrass artist until recently, his contributions to the music have nonetheless been considerable. His unique style of country singing appeals to both bluegrass lovers and traditionalists. Many of Jimmie’s song compositions have found their way into the…