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Jan Johansson with Bobby Hicks at Lorraine’s Coffee House in 2018. // Photo by Wilson Herlong

Jan Johansson

Follow Your Dreams Photos Courtesy of Jan Johansson Jan (pronounced “Yahn”) Johansson is a man who has defied all odds. A true connoisseur of bluegrass, he is a player, teacher, historian, collector, and much more. What makes him truly amazing is that he achieved all this by overcoming huge obstacles along the way: being born and…

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Life’s Parade

Rick Faris is a well-known, award-winning singer-songwriter. He spent 11 years as a member of Special Consensus, and his own Rick Faris Trio has traveled the US, Europe, the UK, and Canada. He recently opened his Faris Guitar Co. in Owensboro, Kentucky, where he focuses on his business and continues writing and recording.  This new…

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2025 Talent Directory

The Bluegrass Unlimited Annual Talent Directory lists all artists and bands that requested inclusion in this directory. If you are a performing artist or are in a band and would like to be listed in the future, please email [email protected] with “Talent Directory” as the subject.  This directory will also appear on our website and will…

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Steve Martin and Alison Brown. // Photo by Madison thorn

From ‘Wild And Crazy Guy’ to ‘Safe, Sensible And Sane’

Steve Martin and Alison Brown Crown Their Banjo Partnership With A Charming Album Steve Martin’s career transcends category and defies explanation. Over 50 years, he has: shared an Emmy Award writing for the Smothers Brothers TV show; filled arenas doing wacky, non sequitur comedy; hosted Saturday Night Live 16 times; starred in and/or written dozens…

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Custom Made Woman: A Life In Traditional Music

Published by The University of North Carolina Press Alice Gerrard is an iconic figure in American roots music.  Although she may be best known for her recordings and performances with Hazel Dickens, she is a talented multi-instrumentalist and singer in many genres of roots music as well as a writer, publisher, activist, photographer, historian, and…

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article and photo By Chuck Dunlop

A Guitar Lesson with Adam Granger

In early August, I accompanied my wife to Minneapolis, where she was planning to attend a family reunion. I remembered that Adam Granger lived in the area, so I decided to try to book a guitar lesson from him. Although I have been a flatpicker for many years, I have never been satisfied with my…

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