The Bluegrass Blog

We reported last month that a suit had been brought against The Grascals by Entertainment Evolution, a company managed by Nashville publicist Kirt Webster. At the time, the band offered no comment on the merits of the suit. Now, a countersuit has been filed by [...]

This weekend, Nashville will host the annual convention of the Society for the Preservation of Bluegrass Music in America, which goes by the tongue numbing acronym, SPBGMA (spigma). Like the Fall convention hosted by the International Bluegrass Music Association, SPBGMA holds an awards show and [...]

Side projects are becoming more and more common in the bluegrass world. Sometimes it’s a solo project from a member of an established band; other times it’s an all-star effort involving a bevy of popular artists. But sometimes it’s an actual band, who perform irregularly, [...]

We’ve written many times about the magnificent work done by Darrel and Phyllis Adkins at their annual Musicians Against Childhood Cancer festival in Ohio. Top bluegrass acts make the trip each summer and perform at no charge, with proceeds from the festival being donated to St. Jude [...]

I caught up yesterday with Adam Steffey, who filled me in on the two biggest events in his life these days. Make that three! His twin sons, Riley and A.P., are occupying much of his energy, but he’s also been carving out time to work [...]

Tablet is an online magazine for Jewish readers that covers a wide range of issues, with arts reporting found side-by-side with articles on religion and politics. The online magazine also sponsors a podcast side, Vox Tablet, with audio coverage of these same topics. This week’s [...]

James Alan Shelton, long-time guitarist with Ralph Stanley & the Clinch Mountain Boys, has spent the past two days in the hospital in Kingsport, TN after suffering a mini-stroke at home. He is scheduled to be released today. According to Stanley, James fell to the [...]

Lee Marcus is the fine young banjo player with Wayne Taylor & Appaloosa, and starting a few weeks ago, an occasional correspondent for Bluegrass Today. He also has a solo project available, Grandpa’s Pond, released in 2011, which he is using to help raise funds [...]

We start a new feature this week with 20 Questions. When I write biographical articles on bluegrass stars I have to ask predictable questions, which means I usually get predictable answers. For this feature, I ask questions the artist may not have expected. You’re welcome [...]

We heard yesterday from Red Line Studios, the folks creating the upcoming Dave Evans documentary film, Last of the Breed: The Dave Evans Story. Work on the film is well underway, which will cover Dave’s rough and tumble life from childhood up through the present day. [...]

Tonight’s (2/1) edition of Music City Roots is bluegrass, bluegrass, bluegrass. Scheduled to perform this evening from the Loveless Barn in Nashville are Lonesome River Band, Chris Jones & the Nightdrivers, Darin & Brooke Aldridge, Special Consensus and Darrell Scott. Jim Lauderdale will host the [...]

Banjo master Jim Mills is the subject of a short documentary piece produced by UNC-TV, the public television service at the University of North Carolina. The video starts with a musical biography on Mills, covering his early discovery of the banjo through his time with [...]

While the phrase “du jour” may be familiar to coffee house goers and soup connoisseurs, it may be one that much of the bluegrass world encounters only rarely, especially where their music is concerned. However, there is at least one group of artists who are [...]

Abigail Washburn spent November and December of 2011 in China, touring along the ancient Silk Road which once served as a trade route between China and the West. The tour was in the form of a cultural exchange, funded by the US Embassy and the [...]

Crossroads Entertainment and Marketing has announced that they have signed New River Bluegrass to their new Pisgah Ridge label. This bluegrass Gospel group from South Carolina features Barry Long on banjo, Mike Johnson on guitar, Chuck Price on fiddle, Dwayne Brown on bass, Andy Smith on lead [...]

Roe Entertainment has welcomed two new acts into their roster for 2012. In addition to such celebrated artists as Michael Cleveland & Flamekeeper, Lonesome River Band, Dale Ann Bradley, Chris Jones, and Danny Paisley, Jim Roe is now representing The Tuttles with A.J. Lee, and [...]

Bill Emerson & Sweet Dixie have a couple of news bits for this afternoon. First off, they are celebrating the official release of their latest CD, The Touch Of Time, on Rural Rhythm. It is now available wherever you might purchase recorded bluegrass music. On [...]

The International Bluegrass Music Museum sent along another set of photos from Bearfoot’s two week residency at the museum in Owensboro, KY. The guys and gals were in town to give presentations to school kids in Western Kentucky, something for which they all have a special [...]

When one door shuts, another opens. Or so it would seem judging by this statement yesterday from Lorraine Jordan & Carolina Road. It is great regret that we, Carolina Road, have to announce cancellation of the Carolina Road Homecoming Bluegrass Festival, which was held annually [...]

One might say that becoming a bluegrass virtuoso was simply written in the stars for Buddy Merriam, a mandolinist originally from Hartford, Connecticut. Although he had played guitar since childhood, he became interested in the mandolin after seeing Frank Wakefield perform in 1972, choosing to [...]