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Shelby Means

Kentucky-born, Wyoming-raised Shelby Means has been around the music biz for a while. She’s a former member of the acclaimed band Della Mae and more recently has served as the bass player with Molly Tuttle and Golden Highway. Thus, it’s no surprise that her debut album is such an accomplished and assured outing. Means has…

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If I Wait Any More

The Wilder Flower was formed in 2021, and is based in the rural areas of North and South Carolina. They are Danielle Yother on guitar, Molly Johnson on banjo, and Madeline Dierauf on fiddle. Their Appalachian old-time and bluegrass roots are featured well on this project with their focus on material that includes pleasant lead…

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Sam Bush and Rodney Dillard performing at the Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame and Museum for the John Hartford Days Weekend in January of 2025. // Photo by Chad Gesser

The Dillards

Songs That Made Charlene Cry Bluegrass Hall of Famer Rodney Dillard uses two criteria when choosing what he’ll do next in music—Is it too much hassle, and is it fun? His decision to write and record The Dillards’ latest album, Songs That Made Charlene Cry, fit just right. He had mulled over the idea for…

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Paper Flowers

 Tim O’Brien has been a fixture in contemporary bluegrass ever since fronting the band Hot Rize starting back in the late 1970s. Along the way, he’s collaborated with everyone from fellow West Virginian Kath Mattea to Steve Martin and Alison Brown. He’s also penned songs for a number of Nashville’s leading lights. For the last…

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Students at Colorado College work on a recording (left to right) Maren Snow, Sam Johnson and Anabel Shenk. // Photo by Schylar Woods

Collegiate Bluegrass Programs in Colorado and Tennessee Working Together to Help North Carolina Storm Victims

In many places in the U.S., at most small universities, depending on the location, a full-fledged bluegrass program can be hard to sustain. But, that is exactly what has happened at Colorado College, located near Colorado Springs, Colorado.  A private university founded in 1874; Colorado College was created when the so-called “Wild West” period was…

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Mark Newton // Photo by Jeromie Stephens

Mark Newton

Fifty Years and Beyond This is the story of Mark Newton, a veteran bluegrasser, promoter, and ambassador whose journey in music and life clearly reminds us of how precious life is. If not for unwavering faith, a support system of family and friends, and a team of top-notch medical staff, this story would have appeared…

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