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Q: I have been a subscriber to Bluegrass Unlimited for around 45 years or more; this is the first time I have been in touch. I have a question. The Columbia recording by Flatt & Scruggs “Don’t Get Above Your Raisin’” has Chubby Wise listed as the fiddle player. It sounds more like Benny Martin…

At 85, it is not impressive that Del McCoury is still making music.  What’s impressive is how darn good it is and how that voice is as strong and classic as ever. The beloved bluegrass musician has headlined his band for 35 years and has hit yet another home run with Songs of Love and…

As a leading figure to rise out of the ‘60s folk revival, Tom Paxton’s songs have been recorded by everyone from Johnny Cash and Doc Watson to Dolly Parton, Willie Nelson and Peter, Paul & Mary. His “The Last Thing On My Mind” and “I Can’t Help But Wonder Where I’m Bound” have, of course,…

Reprinted from Bluegrass Unlimted Magazine August 1994, Volume 29, Number 2 Perhaps it was just ordinary human courtesy, but then again…My wife had accidentally locked our keys in our car while we were at the Jim and Jesse Bluegrass Festival near Elizabethton, Tenn., in June 1993. Our 16-month-old son, Daniel, had a slight fever and…

At the end of May, Jacob Jolliff released his latest album, Instrumentals, Vol. 2: Mandolin Mysteries on Adhyaropa Records. If you are familiar with Jolliff, you have probably listened to Instrumentals, Vol. 1, released in 2018 when Jolliff was a youthful 27 years old. Now in his mid-thirties, this new album of originals reflects Jolliff’s…

Reprinted from Bluegrass Unlimited Magazine July 1982, Volume 17, Number 1 Fiddler Bobby Hicks has a gleam of contentment in his eye these days. He’s right where he wants to be, doing what he wants to be doing, among the best of company—but he’s certainly traveled a long, winding, and sometimes treacherous road to get…