Articles
IssueM Articles
Wilma Lee Cooper
Reprinted from Bluegrass Unlimited Magazine November 1988, Volume 23, Number 5 This article was obtained in a rather unusual setting. Wilma Lee Cooper was playing a festival with Bill Monroe which was held at a county fairground. As this lovely and talented lady came off stage she came to me and said, “Just as soon…
The Songwriting of Ola Belle Reed
“High on a mountain, wind blowing free Thinking about the days that used to be High on a mountain, standing all alone Wondering where the years of my life have flown” 1 These iconic lyrics by Ola Belle Reed are a right of passage for any bluegrass singer or band. “I’ve endured, I’ve endured, How…
My Favorite Memories
Remembering my Friend, Bobby Osborne 1992 I first met Bobby in 1992 while attending the Old Joe Clark Bluegrass Festival in Renfro Valley, Kentucky. This was my first time attending a bluegrass festival and I was carrying around my first guitar for all the artists to sign. I had upgraded to a better instrument so…
Coulee Creek
Coulee Creek features singer-songwriter Sarah Jackson and poet Rita Mae Reese. The group also includes Beth Becker (fiddle, cello), Michael James (resonator guitar), David Strudthoff (banjo), Tom Baker (guitar, bass), and Cori Vought (vocals). Guest artists are Brett Huus (harmonica), Terry Nirva (cajon), and Josh Rabie (mandolin). Most of them hail from the Wisconsin/Minnesota area…
I Gotta Minute (And Other Songs From A Pandemic)
From the Baltimore, Maryland area, the Union is Andy Belt (guitar, banjitar, vocals), Jon Ackerman (resonator guitar, lap steel), Tony Bonta (banjo, vocals), Noah Heming (guitar, vocals), Shawn Heming (mandolin, vocals), and Dave Markowitz (bass). Belt wrote or co-wrote all the songs on this project for which the title indicates much of the material came…
Duck’s Eye
Nashville musician and songwriter, Charles Butler (banjo, resonator guitar) has gathered together a nice cadre of fellow musicians to back him up on this new project of all-original material from Butler. He is joined on the various selections by Brandon Birkedahl (bass), Billy Conteras (fiddle), Ian Craft (fiddle), AJ Fox (mandolin), Geoff Henderson (bass), Jeremy…