Articles

Although he left us when he was far too young, at the age of 58, Don Reno made an enormous impact on bluegrass music.  His work with the Morris Brothers, starting when he was just fourteen years old, his work with Bill Monroe after Scruggs left Monroe’s band, and his time spent with Arthur “Guitar…

A Life of Music, Stories, and Connections Roscoe VanBuren “Buddy” Hogan, Jr. (August 26, 1935 – October 13, 2025) was a man whose life was deeply intertwined with the world of country and bluegrass music. Although he frequently joked with family and friends that he was a “legend in his own mind,” Buddy lived a…

Bands Blurring the Lines of Bluegrass “I’m just proud that we got something down on tape that really captures the vibe of the Keel Stickley Duo,”  explains guitarist Jon Stickley about he and fellow guitarist Larry Keel’s recently released self-titled EP.  “It’s a monumental live act, but had we never gotten the recording done, it…

In Dan Miller’s wonderful and thorough retrospective article on Don Reno found elsewhere in this edition of BU, he gets into the music side of this amazing IBMA Hall of Fame artist.  Here, after wonderful interviews with his sons, Ronnie, Don Wayne, and Dale Reno, I try to unveil Don Reno as a man and…

Introducing Billy Strings as the keynote speaker for the IBMA World of Bluegrass, Executive Director Ken White called him a “generational talent” and acknowledged the kind of “watershed moment” that comes along every twenty years or so, putting “bluegrass music in the center of popular culture.” Along with such phenomena as Will the Circle Be…

A Bluegrass Pioneer:Ralph Pennington North Carolina’s Vivian Pennington Hopkins made it her mission to share the legacy of her late father, Ralph Pennington. In doing so, she orchestrated the recording of an album and two music videos that pay homage to her dad’s many talents. A gifted songwriter, musician, and luthier, he helped formulate the…