Current Issue May 2026
The Tradition
When guitar legend Steve Cropper died a few months ago, the response from musicians of all stripes was unanimous. Cropper was one of the best guitarists of all time, was…
In 1976, the Japanese division of Sony Music released two monumental 10-album collections that proved to be bonanzas for collectors of classic bluegrass and country music. These collections, titled Bluegrass…
Hearts were shattered in the bluegrass music world when singer/songwriter Ronnie Bowman died March 22 from injuries he suffered in a motorcycle wreck the day before on the outskirts of…
The Artists
Photos by Sophia Sharp Bluegrass vocalist/mandolinist Tina Adair has a new perspective on life since gracing the cover of Bluegrass Unlimited magazine in April 2023. While the physical evidence is…
True to themselves and Good as True Through their quarter-century together as a band, Yonder Mountain String Band has kicked down the door for string bands and redefined what is…
Couldn’t Outrun The Blues If He Tried Blues and bluegrass go together like bourbon and branch water, and Trey Hensley fully embraces that musical connection. Nearly everything he’s done since…
The Sound
Made To Be Played A Christmas gift led Steve Hinde to build his first guitar. He received a Martin D-18 kit with an Adirondack top and, naturally, Hinde modified the guitar…
Teaching How to Play Bluegrass Banjo on YouTube If you are a banjo player and explore YouTube as a source for learning how to play the 5-string, you have no doubt run…
Modern Made Guitars With A Vintage Sound Preston Thompson had a love for guitars and a desire to replicate the tone of vintage pre-war instruments from the 1930s. That passion led…
The Venue
In the same vein that “Man Bites Dog” is bigger news than “Dog Bites Man,” a soundtrack that eclipses its own blockbuster movie makes for better headlines. On February 28,…
40 Years of Bluegrass Music Advocacy Written By Pat J Ahrens and Larry Klein Photos by Staci Jones It’s been over 40 years since the late Bill Wells placed an advertisement in…
This sure is one high-octane, peak-performance musical experience. Carson Peters and Iron Mountain are firing on all cylinders, and what a joy it is to listen to all the gears…
