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The members of Appalachian Smoke all hail from the area of Southern Appalachia and their music invokes both the traditional and contemporary feelings and styles of the region. The band is BJ Taylor (mandolin, octave mandolin, vocals), Mikel Laws (banjo, guitar, vocals), Jamie Mason (guitar, banjo, vocals), Kenneth Rymer (resophonic guitar, vocals), and Tim Williams…

A Bluegrass Journey Rooted in Tradition and Innovation After over a decade of making music together, Rock Hearts have firmly established their bluegrass presence in New England, an area not typically associated with this genre. Their latest album, Unfinished Bridges, marks a significant milestone in their journey as they continue to honor their bluegrass roots….

After moving to Nashville in 1987, Irwin set to developing his songwriting talents. It took a few years while working as a bartender and collaborating with other writers, that he finally landed some songs that were recorded by folks like Randy Travis, Alan Jackson. Tim McGraw, Blake Shelton, and Jimmy Buffett. It was Alan Jackson’s…

While the band is based in the Washington, DC area, the members are from Northern Virginia, Rhode Island, North Carolina and Pennsylvania. They include Wally Hughes (guitar, fiddle, resonator guitar, vocals), Lisa Kay Howard Hughes (mandolin, vocals), James Field (guitar, vocals). Joe Hannabach (bass), and Ed Lick (banjo, steel, mandolin). Individually they have performed with…

Reprinted from Bluegrass Unlimited Magazine July 2015, Volume 50, Number 1 In bluegrass, as in many other kinds of music, the accolades most often go to the singers and instrumentalists that occupy the spotlight. The bass player, who stands in the shadows, often receives little recognition for his or her talent, even though he’s providing…

Reprinted from Bluegrass Unlimited Magazine April 1988, Volume 22, Number 10 In the December 1986 issue of Bluegrass Unlimited, we ran an obituary of Art Wooten, who past in October of that year.  Then, in April of 1988 we ran a story remembering Art Wooten.  Here, we are first reprinted the short obituary, and then…