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Recording: All the Bluegrass 45 Rebel recordings were done at the Roy Homer Studio in Clinton, Maryland.  Roy recorded many of Rebel albums including Ralph Stanley, Country Gentlemen, Emerson & Waldron, Cliff Waldron, Seldom Scene (Act I).  It was pre-digital era and everything was analog—meaning the band would play a song, Roy would mix all…

Reprinted from Bluegrass Unlimited Magazine May 2008, Volume 42, Number 11 Bill Emerson is back. To the delight of his many fans and peers, he has recently returned to the bluegrass music scene and, this time around, playing in his own band—Bill Emerson & the Sweet Dixie Band. Debuting at the 2007 World Of Bluegrass…

Unfortunately, my diary ended on 8/31 so the rest of the tour (3 weeks) is based on a gig log, recording log and my memory.   Carlton Haney’s Labor Day Weekend Festival at Bluegrass Park in Camp Springs, North Carolina.   Mr. Carlton Haney held the first bluegrass festival in Fincastle, Virginia, on Labor Day Weekend in…

Reprinted from Bluegrass Unlimited Magazine March 1992  Volume 26, Number 9 William Hundley Emerson, Jr.’s name has become synonomous with unparalleled achievement and professionalism within the world of bluegrass music. A banjo virtuoso, Bill Emerson’s artistry, ability and creativity have earned him respect from both the critics and public alike. Among his achievements, Emerson founded…

“You can’t talk about women in country music, vocal styles, rhythm guitar styles . . . without also talking about Wilma Lee Cooper.” – Alice Gerrard in SING OUT! Aug 24, 1977 For more than 30 years, Wilma Lee and Stoney Cooper were among our nation’s premier country and bluegrass acts. Wilma Lee and Stoney…

Detroit’s  Miracle Mandolinist The muzzle of the .38 Special revolver looked as big as the mouth of the Detroit-Windsor tunnel. Six shots rang out and four bullets struck him right in the gut. Forty years later, Nolan Faulkner remembered that cold Michigan night – “Lucky for me, he was a bad shot!”  Faulkner’s near-death experience…