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Monroe Crossing
Celebrating 25 Years The Minnesota-based bluegrass band, Monroe Crossing, is celebrating its 25th year in the entertainment business. Three founding members, Matt Thompson-mandolin, Lisa Fuglie-fiddle, and Mark Anderson-bass, were joined by Derek Johnson-guitar in 2011. The group utilizes a cadre of very talented banjo players, all of whom are alumni of the group, most recently…
Mark Stoffel
In a bluegrass world where bands see regular turnovers, Mark Stoffel is an anomaly. For the past 16 years, the mandolin ace for Chris Jones and the Night Drivers has been laying down a solid chop on tours across the country and with his creative innovations on sevenof the group’s CDs. After growing up in…
Notes & Queries – May 2025
Q – I am a big fan of Ernie Thacker and know that he was in Ralph Stanley’s band from 1988-1994. I am trying to find all the albums that feature him singing lead with Ralph Stanley & the Clinch Mountain Boys. Do you happen to know the titles of the albums that Ernie was…
The Music and Times of Jim Lunsford
Part 1: Jim Lunsford: Growing music from the mountains and beyond At a Charlotte, North Carolina, studio in April 1954, 26-year-old Jimmy Lunsford cranked up wild fiddle solos on “Dixie Breakdown,” a tune he’d written with banjo innovator Don Reno. Lunsford’s presence on Don Reno & Red Smiley releases was just one of the creative…
They’re Back!
Alison Krauss and Union Station Photos by Randee St. Nicholas When the members of Alison Krauss and Union Station (AKUS) took the stage March 19 at the Grand Ole Opry’s 100th anniversary celebration televised live on NBC, there was joy in the bluegrass nation and in the hearts of all music fans with ears around the world….
Richard Hefner of the Black Mountain Bluegrass Boys
A West Virginia Bluegrass Legend’s Signature Song Revived for Modern Times by Kenny and Amanda Smith Pocahontas County is not only one of the most beautiful counties in West Virginia, it is one of the most nature-filled regions in all of the 400-year-old Appalachian Mountain chain. The county, which contains the headwaters of eight rivers,…





