Author: Chris Jones

Last week I promised to give a few tips for band leaders on how to keep band members longer. Or, if that really isn’t a big priority for you (and for some band leaders it isn’t), a few suggestions on

What makes some bands stay together for years and others have perpetual personnel changes? If you answered, “the one that stays together for years has never taken a current band photo or purchased an expensive vehicle together,” congratulations! You’re a regular

‘Tis the season for the bluegrass music camp, and my band and I just returned recently from a great week at Camp Bluegrass, held annually at South Plains College in Levelland, TX. In a typical music camp of any kind, there are

Chris Jones has found himself stuck in a whirlwind this week, and has offered this re-run of one of his first columns for our enjoyment. Quite some time ago (I think it was just after the breakup of Flatt & Scruggs

“For Your Consideration.” We all have seen that phrase more than a few times in the past few days, now that the first round of IBMA awards balloting has been tabulated. It’s the generic introduction to a solicitation for votes, in

This being peach season in the south, my original plan for this week was to write a column about the use of peaches in bluegrass lyrics through the years (as in, “You don’t like my peaches, don’t shake my tree,”

We’re lucky in the bluegrass world. We’re still playing to audiences that actually buy CDs. Some artists in other genres aren’t even finding it worth the trouble to throw a box of them on to the bus before heading out. What’s

The first time I saw the Osborne Brothers perform was at Hugo, Oklahoma, in the mid-70s (I’ll spare you the “I was 2 years old at the time” joke). Before the M.C. brought them on, he said, “MCA Records has

This week, Chis Jones' contribution is an encore presentation from 2011, or as Chris put it... "After a weekend that took us from Bean Blossom to Ontario, CA, then straight to Kaufman Kamp on a red-eye, I’m going to have to reach into

Last week we discussed the blending of bluegrass music with other styles, including some that may not at first listen seem that compatible, like bluegrass and heavy metal, the fusion which kicked this whole subject off in the first place. Some