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This top-notch quintet out of southern New England has been around since 2013, and on their third album (produced by Scott Vestal) they are in top form with stalwart lead vocals and harmonies, fine picking and provocative songwriting. The band, which was the official IBMA Showcase Band in 2021, consists of: Billy Thibodeau on mandolin,…

This accomplished band was founded by three alumni of the final line-up of Doyle Lawson’s Quicksilver: Jerry Cole, Eli Johnston and Stephen Burwell.   Most of the song choices here are utterly familiar: “Let It Snow,” “Holly Jolly Christmas,” “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas,” “I’ll Be Home for Christmas,” etc. But the results are…

Bluegrass Original Photos from Bluegrass Unlimited Magazine archives Some bluegrass enthusiasts like to argue about how and when bluegrass music, as we know it today, was founded and by whom. Some will say that it was founded and developed by Bill Monroe.  There is certainly a good solid argument for that point of view.  Regardless…

Photo by Scott Simontacchi After fifteen years playing together, Mike Compton and Joe Newberry are releasing their first studio album Home in My Heart. The project combines new arrangements of old standards and original songs with a traditional flavor, delivered clean and spare. The result showcases their unique blend of vocal harmony and instrumental virtuosity….

Q – What can you tell us about “Those Two Mirthquakes of Fun” called Shufly and Buckeye Sneezleweed who appeared with Bill Monroe at several shows in 1949? Joe Ross, Roseburg, Oregon. A – An advertisement for an October 21, 1948, show by Bill Monroe in West Helena, Arkansas, revealed Buckeye Sneezleweed to be Mac…

The story of one of America’s greatest bluegrass bands begins in Maine in the French-speaking home of Eric and Mildred LeBlanc. The LeBlanc family was of French-Canadian stock from New Brunswick, Canada, and they were a musical lot. Three of the LeBlanc sons were especially musical. Sometime around 1950, the family began using the Anglicized…