Author: John Curtis Goad

Ralph Stanley II & the Clinch Mountain Boys are currently celebrating two big accomplishments. It's been 30 years since Dr. Ralph Stanley hired his son Ralph II as a lead singer and guitar player and the band, the Clinch Mountain

The first festivals of 2026 are quickly approaching, which means it’s time to dust off the folding chairs and guitar picks. If you live in the eastern half of the United States, it's likely that one of the first bluegrass

With the holiday season in full swing, it’s the time of year when Christmas songs start to fill our playlists from morning til night. While I'm always up for hearing a rousing version of Christmas Times A-Comin', it's also nice to

The turkey’s all gone, the stockings have been hung, and Christmas shopping has begun. If you're still looking for that perfect gift for the bluegrass musician in your life, here’s a list of suggestions!  First, Consider Picks For musicians, a quality pick

Nobody saw him running from Sixteenth AvenueThey never found a fingerprint or the weapon that was usedBut someone killed country music, cut out its heart and soulThey got away with murder down on Music Row… I bet you sang part of

Knoxville, TN-based bassist Matt Wallace has spent most of his career as a sideman, supporting such artists as Paul Williams, Audie Blaylock, David Parmley, and Terry Baucom, among others. After a fine solo debut back in 2014, Wallace is back

For many of the current generation of bluegrass guitar pickers, their biggest influences can be directly traced to the school of Tony Rice. Brock Ealey, on the other hand, found his love for guitar rooted in the Clinch Mountain sound.

It can be tough when a longtime member of an established band leaves, especially when it’s a musician with a long and storied pedigree such as Terry Smith, who played his last show as bass man for The Grascals on

Bobbi and Don Day at the 2023 July Starvy Creek Bluegrass Festival,with new owners, Aaron and Amy McDaris - photo by Tammy Harman The Starvy Creek Bluegrass Festival, once managed by Don and Bobbie Day on their family farm in Conway,

Many of central and eastern Kentucky's bluegrass favorites will come together this Saturday, November 2, at Meadowgreen Appalachian Music Park at Pickin' for Styx, a benefit for beloved bluegrass superfan Allen "Styx" Hicks. Known throughout Kentucky and beyond for his