Williamson Branch is a young family band from the Nashville area, featuring Kevin and Debbie Williamson and their three young daughters, Melody, Kadence, and Caroline. Bluegrass fans will recognize Kevin as the guitarist with The Farm Hands Quartet, one of
Among the bluegrass celebrities we caught up with last week in Raleigh were Russell Moore and Wayne Benson from IIIrd Tyme Out. We talked about Timeless Hits From The Past, Bluegrassed, their current album with Cracker Barrel, and how working
World of Bluegrass each year is full of surprises. Usually they're mostly positive, though you do occasionally hear of a stolen instrument or a piece of lost luggage among the regular attendees. This year the surprises we encountered were all good,
While we were in Raleigh last week for the IBMA's 2013 World of Bluegrass convention, we had a lovely visit with Connie Matthews, nephew of the great Clyde Moody. Connie had recently acquired Uncle Clyde's last guitar, a Martin D-28,
When we caught up with reso-guitar man Phil Leadbetter in Raleigh, he mentioned that he was getting ready to start work on a new album, and that he would have more details to share this week. The word is that Phil
Junior Sisk has asked us to share this statement about his decision to stop including one of the songs from his current album, Old Bicycle Chain, in his live show. The song is a tongue-in-cheek farce written by Billy Smith
This past weekend during the 13th annual Nothin Fancy Bluegrass Festival in central Virginia, Rhonda Vincent & the Rage paid tribute to their genial hosts by dressing up as Nothin Fancy, and playing a set of their most popular numbers. Rhonda
It's a sure sign you're getting old when when a band that was a touchstone of your youth celebrates its 40th Anniversary. Old & In The Way formed in 1973, with Jerry Garcia on banjo, David Grisman on mandolin, Vassar Clements
Kevin Richardson & Cutting Edge have announced the return of mandolinist Milom Williams to the band. The Spartanburg, SC native joined the group in 2009 as a teenager, left in 2012, and is back now at 22 to share his skills
One of the most emotionally satisfying moments for me during last Thursday's IBMA Awards presentation was seeing Mike Munford accept the Banjo Player of the Year trophy for 2013. Mike has been the "banjo players' banjo player" for many years,
