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The Wayne Henderson Festival Ends After 30 Years

Henderson Reflects on Its Long Run Photos by Derek Halsey Southwest Virginia’s Wayne Henderson happens to be one of the most famous guitar builders in the world. He has also been one of the best fingerpick guitarists in the country for many years. And yet, for the majority of his amazing career, Henderson has lived…

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Photo by sandy hatley

A Small Business With Big Impact

The old saying “good things come in small packages” rings true for Lowe Vintage Instrument Company in Burlington, North Carolina.  The small store front located beside a photography studio and vintage vinyl record store in the historic downtown district appears neat, clean, and quiet from the outside, but it’s what’s on the inside that draws…

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A New Era for Gallagher Guitars

Photos Courtesy of Gallagher Guitar Company Gallagher is a name that for nearly sixty years has been associated with finely crafted acoustic guitars.  For nearly that same length of time, Gallagher Guitars has also been tied to one of the finest flatpicking guitar players to ever put a pick to strings—the legendary Doc Watson. The…

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Ron Thomason at High Mountain Hay Fever 2024. // Photo by Kevin Slick

The Space Between

I called Ron Thomason on his eightieth birthday, September 5th, to schedule an interview for Bluegrass Unlimited. I had just recently reviewed his latest album, Ancient Songs Et Al. I had also watched the recent documentary about Ron and the Dry Branch Fire Squad, The Court Jester. I had read numerous articles highlighting Thomason’s many…

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Orchard Creek Band poses in front of the majestic Sangre de Cristo mountain range at High Mountain Hay Fever. // Photo by Vicki Quarles

A Good Time for a Good Cause

When a few families in the Wet Mountain Valley of southern Colorado took note of the lack of children’s health services in the early 2000s they did what most people with the means to help might do, they donated money to the local clinic to be used by anyone who needed financial assistance. A year…

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Authentic Unlimited (left to right): Jerry Cole, Stephen Burwell, Eli Johnston, Jesse Brock and John Meador.

Hard Work & Brotherhood

Photos by Laci Mack Sometimes a new song comes to you the way it should, as in randomly, and without fanfare or prior description, and the quality of it takes you for a ride. That is what happened to me one day while driving through the mountains of Western North Carolina. In the Blue Ridge…

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