Articles

From an interview with Ken Irwin August 1972 Reprinted from Bluegrass Unlimited Magazine June 1973, Volume 7, Number 12 “Drive is the most important part of this music. When I look back, it is the drive in this music which excited me and that was the thing that I strived for.” Thus, Del McCoury, a…

Dave Goldman is an interesting and diligent musician who has worked hard at his craft and become a respected and talented fiddle player. The story of how he attained this status is inspirational. He grew up in Chicago with almost no family influence of country or bluegrass music. Dave took music lessons during his school…

If you’re a bluegrass purist looking for an album that sounds like it just wandered from the Appalachian foothills, look no further. Ancient Songs et al is heavily fortified with evangelical hymns, Woody Guthrie, Townes Van Zandt, AP Carter, and of course, Bill Monroe. Dry Branch Fire Squad seeks to preserve the essence of these…

As this impressive album attests, the Grascals, with 20 years of history, and members coming and going (and in the case of founding member Jamie Johnson, coming back again), are still going as strong as ever. They come blazing out of the chute with a salute to the Osborne Brothers, who’ve had an indelible influence…

Bluegrass and Life at 85 Photo By Jason Tanner At age 85, Bluegrass Hall of Famer and Grand Ole Opry member Del McCoury still presents an impeccable image of professionalism and musical excellence onstage. He is quite simply one of the most respected ambassadors and one of the best-loved artists in bluegrass music. With a…

Singer/songwriter Rick Lang follows up his IBMA award-winning CD, Gonna Sing, Gonna Shout with another all-star ensemble of musicians on Blue Collar Gospel (Billy Blue Records). The magical vocal pairings for the 11-cut project including Becky Buller and Nathan Woodard (“Rise Above It All”), Dave Adkins with Alecia Nugent and Jerry Salley (“Old Rugged Me”), Barry Abernathy featuring John…