Author: John Lawless

  • Two new a cappella Gospel CDs

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    One now, another in October... First up, the latest album from The Isaacs, Naturally: An Almost a Cappella Collection, is out on Spring House. It contains 16 new tracks from the reigning family in bluegrass Gospel music. Six of the songs

  • The Great North Strum

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    A lot of readers were touched by the story of banjo teacher Patrick Costello regaining his hearing with an implant that transmits sound directly to the cochlea via bone conduction. After reading the story earlier this month, Mark Davies contacted

  • Free fiddle lessons from Childsplay

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    We posted back in July about the fabulous new CD, Waiting For The Dawn. It is a project of Childsplay, a non-profit organization that has sprung from the annual meetings that violin maker Bob Childs has been hosting this past

  • Valentine's Fall by Cary Fagan

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    Last week we had news of a new book of fiction based on the popular Del McCoury hit, 1952 Vincent Black Lightning. Reading Mandolin Cafe this morning, we learned of another new novel with a bluegrass theme. Valentine's Fall is the

  • Corey Hensley to Quicksilver

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    Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver has a new member. Corey Hensley has come aboard singing tenor and playing guitar. Corey is a native West Virginian who has played and sung bluegrass and Gospel music since he was a young boy. He spent

  • G2 heading our way

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    G2, our favorite young Swedish bluegrass outfit, will also be heading west to the US later this month. They will perform at the Bluegrass Legends Concert Series in Chicago on 9/26, and then on the Woodsongs Old Time Radio Hour

  • Vincent Black Lightning, 1952

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    A.J. Sciarrino is one of the many music lovers who reacted powerfully to The Del McCoury Band's recording of 1952 Vincent Black Lightning. The song tells a compelling story of James and Red Molly and their fascination with other, and with

  • Ricky Skaggs solo stream on iLike

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    The folks at Skaggs Family Records have created a free streaming site on iLike for the upcoming Ricky Skaggs CD, Solo - Songs My Dad Loved. You can listen to all 13 tracks in full on iLike until the release date

  • Sierra Hull on Blue Plate Special

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    Young mandolin prodigy Sierra Hull has started classes at the Berklee College of Music in Boston, but is still touring with her band, Highway 111. She is adapting to having to fly to make the dates, but mixing school work

  • Speaking of Bill Monroe…

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    After posting yesterday about the anniversary of Bill Monroe's passing in 1996, we heard from Richard Crowson, a regular reader of Bluegrass Today, who is the editorial cartoonist for The Wichita Eagle newspaper in Kansas. Richard offered to share this cartoon