Articles

Robert Lewis “Zeke” Hutchison, banjoist, singer and family man, died August 2nd, 2021, after a long illness. Born on September 13th, 1948 (Bill Monroe’s 37th birthday) in Belmont County, Ohio into a musical family, he made a special mark on the music scene in the upper Ohio River valley as well as nationwide. He is survived…

Country music legend Don Maddox has passed away, at age 98, on September 12, 2021. The last surviving member of The Maddox Brothers and Rose, Don was a fiddler and singer who certainly leaves a lasting legacy and impact on the genesis of country music.  Don Maddox was born on December 7, 1922. At a…

Reprinted from Bluegrass Unlimited Magazine   June, 1971 — Volume 5, Number 12 Red Smiley Red has been in semi-retirement for almost three years now and is working at a few of the major festivals and shows this past year. However, he is working now with Don Reno, his old partner and Bill Harrell, who has…

Reprinted from Bluegrass Unlimited Magazine March 1978 – Volume 12, Number 9 For a period of more than 15 years, the WBT Briarhoppers constituted one of the most popular regional country music groups in radio. Sponsored by Peruna, this aggregation achieved such a following in the Carolinas and adjacent states that it sometimes became necessary…

Reprinted from Bluegrass Unlimited Magazine February 1967, Volume 1, Number 8 The following interview was taped by Peter Wernick of WKCR, New York, N.Y. at the first annual Roanoke Bluegrass Festival in September, 1965. We are grateful to Mr. Wernick for allowing us to reprint it here. Peter Wernick: We’re talking with one of the…

Republished from Bluegrass Unlimited Magazine February 1982, Volume 16, Number 8 “Could it have been three years since we’ve seen him?” Steve Stephenson thought a moment and replied, “Every day of it. We were playing in Stuart, remember?” Sure, it was all falling back in place. It was Saturday morning, I had gone in search…