Articles
IssueM Articles
Jubilee
Tennessean Becky Buller is an award-winning multi-instrumentalist, singer, and songwriter. She has won awards for Fiddle Player and Female Vocalist, and her songs have won Grammy awards for groups like The Travelin’ McCourys, The Infamous Stringdusters, and Molly Tuttle. Her songs have also been recorded by such as Ricky Skaggs, Doyle Lawson and Rhonda Vincent. …
If There’s a Will There’s A Way
Harry Carpenter “Junior” Sisk, who has been penning, playing and singing songs modeled in the truest fashion of traditional bluegrass music for many years, has brought us another great record. Known for his tremendous vocals and locomotive sound, Sisk is sure to please the diehard purist. His 2020 album Load the Wagon, won the IBMA…
Eastern Kentucky University Bluegrass Ensemble
Students attending Eastern Kentucky University (EKU) in Richmond, Kentucky can consider themselves extremely fortunate if they have any interest in learning to play bluegrass music. Although the university does not have a bluegrass music degree program, they do offer a Bluegrass Ensemble course and the person who teaches that course is multi-instrumentalist and singer Pam…
SPBGMA
Bluegrass’s Annual Ritual of Spring Photos By David McCarty Every year on the last weekend of the first month, the bluegrass faithful emerge from their winter burrows like cicadas after hibernation with no outdoor festivals and few indoor events, itching to pick. It may still be late January, but don’t try telling bluegrass that spring…
The Belmont University Bluegrass Ensemble
The past academic year has been marked by top-shelf performance experiences for members of Belmont University Bluegrass Ensemble. On April 9, the group made their debut on the stage of the Grand Ole Opry, an ultimate musician’s bucket list item. Ryan Joseph, director of the ensemble and coordinator of strings at the university, has played…
Smilin’ Jim Mills
A Banjo Master Gone Too Soon James Robert “Jim” Mills (December 18, 1966 – May 3, 2024) was one of the most celebrated bluegrass banjo pickers from the last forty years. His early resume included stints with several regional bands such as Summer Wages and the Bass Mountain Boys while later entries observed high-profile jobs…