Articles

After moving to Nashville in 1987, Irwin set to developing his songwriting talents. It took a few years while working as a bartender and collaborating with other writers, that he finally landed some songs that were recorded by folks like Randy Travis, Alan Jackson. Tim McGraw, Blake Shelton, and Jimmy Buffett. It was Alan Jackson’s…

After Hurricane Helene Hit The Mountains, The IBMA Trust Fund and The Bluegrass Community Took Action It is not every day that Chinook helicopters land in the mountains of Western North Carolina delivering much-needed supplies to a disaster zone, but that is what happened when Hurricane Helene struck the Nature Coast of Florida and then…

Brandon Godman is a fiddle player and luthier based in San Francisco, California. Originally from Kentucky, Godman spent time in Cincinnati and Nashville learning his playing and instrument making skills. Along the way he has played with such artists as Melvin Goins, Dale Ann Bradley, Doyle Lawson, and David Peterson, among others, and he has…

Reprinted from Bluegrass Unlimited Magazine July 2015, Volume 50, Number 1 In bluegrass, as in many other kinds of music, the accolades most often go to the singers and instrumentalists that occupy the spotlight. The bass player, who stands in the shadows, often receives little recognition for his or her talent, even though he’s providing…

Reprinted from Bluegrass Unlimited Magazine April 1988, Volume 22, Number 10 In the December 1986 issue of Bluegrass Unlimited, we ran an obituary of Art Wooten, who past in October of that year.  Then, in April of 1988 we ran a story remembering Art Wooten.  Here, we are first reprinted the short obituary, and then…

With interview by Curly Seckler Reprinted from Bluegrass Unlimited Magazine May 1986, Volume 20, Number 11 It’s a worn out cliche, but sometimes I think that the phrase, ‘‘There was only one of him. And after he was made they threw away the mold,” was invented for Lester personally. His very presence of that laid…