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A Little Bit of Bluegrass
Photo by Jackie Stewart “A little bit of bluegrass will chase your blues away.” Derived from that simple sentiment and written by David Stewart, “A Little Bit of Bluegrass” was released late last year by Lorraine Jordan and Carolina Road. Currently, it sits at #1 on the Bluegrass Unlimited Survey chart (June and July 2023). …
The Lady of Tradition
Be Different, Stand Out & Work Your Butt Off Photo by Mickey Stroud Loyal to tradition, yet comfortable with innovation, North Carolina’s Lorraine Jordan might seem like a contradiction and you would be right. Those who know her best acknowledge that she is a total contradiction. Lorraine’s contradictory lifestyle has afforded her much success, earning…
The Bluegrass Community’s Utility Artist
Photo by Brad Holbrooks Baseball has a player dubbed utility infielder. Such athletes are typically substitute players who can be used at more than one infield position and are useful members of a roster as they allow a manager to replace several different players on the team to either give them a rest, or because…
Warren Blair
A 50-year career of the “Hired Gun” of Bluegrass and Country music Photo by Brian Auburn It has been an amazing ride for Warren Blair in the bluegrass world. Hailing from the Baltimore area, Blair’s career with a fiddle in his hand has seen him play with many bluegrass legends since his prowess on the…
Notes & Queries – August 2023
Queries Q: Do you know much (or anything) about the Armstrong Twins? I recently heard a track on a radio program from an old LP. I know that Floyd died in 1994; I have made many attempts to discover when Lloyd died. I met Lloyd at IBMA Louisville in 1997 and we had a long…
Uncommon Sky
It would be hard to over-state what an impressive outing Rick Faris’s sophomore album is. Faris, IBMA’s 2022 “New Artist of the Year,” who spent 11 years as the guitarist/mandolin player/singer with the band Special Consensus, has all the right tools in his tool kit. The Wichita, Kansas-based artist, who grew up in a family…