Articles

Reprinted from Bluegrass Unlimited Magazine August 1989. Volume 24, Number 2 Perhaps no other single artist in this decade has had the impact on the broad genre of contemporary acoustic music than Tony Rice—the consummate folk musician whose stylistic command has gained him diverse groups of admirers as well as imitators all over the landscape….

Bluegrass Bajo for Beginners Bluegrass Bajo Jam Survival Guide 30 Bluegrass Banjo Licks You Must Know Bluegrass Banjo Backup Banjo Lessons Taken as a whole, Ned Luberecki’s four True Fire video courses cover the bread and butter of beginning and intermediate bluegrass banjo playing in a way that’s fun, engaging and approachable. What makes these…

Becky Buller Dark Shadow Recording DSR202002 It’s exhausting reviewing a Becky Buller album — a writer has to lug out a thesaurus to keep all the superlatives straight. Buller, the only performer to win IBMA vocalist and instrumentalist awards in the same year (2016) is at it again with her latest release, Distance and Time….

By Stephanie Vander Wel University of Illinois Press The years 1930 to 1960 saw remarkable changes in country music from Jimmie Rodgers, The Carter Family, Chet Atkins and Patsy Cline appeared on the scene.  New musical styles—bluegrass, honky-tonk, Western swing—and new media such as radio, TV, and LPs emerged. Stephanie Vander Wel of the University…

By Ivan M. Tribe and Jacob Baptist Arcadia Publishing In 1924 the “National Barn Dance” began broadcasting at WLS in Chicago.  Soon after, “Barn Dance”, “Jamboree’, and “Hayride” radio programs began appearing in cities like Nashville, Dallas, Shreveport, Cincinnati, Knoxville, and Wheeling.  These programs served as a prominent source of live and radio entertainment for…

Oly Mountain Boys The Oly Mountain Boys make their home in the city of Olympia, Washington, from where they get their name. The band is Tye Menser (banjo, vocals). Phil Post (bass, resonator guitar, vocals), Josh Grice (fiddle, vocals), and Eric Schweizer (guitar, vocals), and they are joined by guests Derek McSwain (mandolin, vocals) and…