Articles

It is not unusual for older folks to look at the younger generations coming up behind them and feel as though those youngsters don’t know anything about working hard or honoring tradition. It is an old story but, like all stereotypes, not always true. If you have ever found yourself having negative thoughts about young…

Photos by Jeromie Stephens Franklin Delano Roosevelt “Frank” Wakefield (June 26, 1934 – April 26, 2024) was an “authentic certified musical genius. He is the only man to build a complete, original mandolin style on the Monroe base.” Columnist Bill Vernon made that assessment in the pages of Muleskinner News magazine in 1972 when he…

That may be the understatement of the year, when assessing the ways which Tony Trischka has been spreading the Gospel of Scruggs in the 100th year of Earl’s birth. Not only was Tony an integral part behind-the-scenes of the new exhibit Born of the Broad River: The Life and Career of Earl Scruggs in His…

Most people know Lizzy Long as the multi-instrumentalist, multi-talented singer, songwriter and sidekick of Little Roy Lewis. Like her “Pap,” as she calls him, she is a ball of creative energy and spends part of her limited free time making fiddles.  In her woodworking shop, the Lincolnton, Georgia native labors to take pieces of solid…

Fiddling and Singing New Colors of Bluegrass With the March 2024 release of Colors, her second album for the Mountain Home Music label, Newton, North Carolina-based band leader Carley Arrowood is singing and fiddling her way into the hearts of a growing fan base. After graduating from high school, Arrowood toured the world as a…

One of Bluegrass’s New Generation Written by Dale and Darcy Cahill It is difficult to write about Austin Scelzo without listing the many ways he has contributed to the bluegrass community. He plays the fiddle and sings for bands On The Trail and the Rock Hearts. He teaches on his own bluegrass, country and roots…