Articles

He’s Got It In Him Photos Courtesy of Teresa Ellis The last few years of Wyatt Ellis’ young life have been remarkable in several different ways. Before the pandemic he was spending upwards of three hours a day shuttling between Boy Scouts, Taekwon-Do, soccer practice, and squeezing in a weekly 30-minute mandolin lesson: pretty much…

Showers Empathy in Her Music Esteemed bluegrass singer Dale Ann Bradley shares stories of hardship and hope on her latest project, Things She Couldn’t Get Over. Growing up in the isolated country of rural Eastern Kentucky, Bradley knows all too well the struggles of life.  “There wasn’t a lot of money at all. I’ve carried…

Website Opens Up Doors to Heart of Bluegrass Bluegrass music was basically created in Nashville in 1945 when Kentucky native Bill Monroe asked North Carolina fiddler Jim Shumate if he knew of any powerful banjo players who could keep up with his up-tempo music. That is when Shumate introduced Monroe to the innovative three-finger banjo…

Photos Courtesy of The Earl Scruggs Center It’s no exaggeration to say Earl Scruggs changed the course of music globally with his innovative 3-finger style of banjo playing. “Scruggs Style,” as it is universally known, is a cornerstone of bluegrass music, and has served as inspiration for latter-day banjo innovators, including Bela Fleck, Tony Trischka,…

And His Fabulous Fiddle Shop Many of the artists that we interview in Bluegrass Unlimited grew up in musical families.  The majority of them are raised in southeastern regions of the United States where bluegrass and country music was played in their homes from the time they were born.  California native Phil Salazar also grew…

A Short— But Brilliant— Bluegrass Career Don Bryant’s experience playing bluegrass in the mid-1950s would be the envy of any professional bluegrass musician.  In the span of just a few short years, Don performed with Benny and Vallie Cain, Bill Harrell, Mac Wiseman, and then for nearly three months he subbed for Earl Scruggs with…