Author: Richard Thompson

OK... so we're a little late, but we didn't want to let the month pass without a mention of this notable anniversary. The concept of May being Bluegrass Music Month is probably buried deep in the mind at the moment,

William David "D" Kilpatrick, a former record executive, Grand Ole Opry manager and founding member of the Country Music Association, died on Wednesday (May 21) at his home in Franklin, near Nashville, Tennessee. He was 88 years old and he

Earlier this week I happened to be talking to Jeanie Stanley, who reminded me that this holiday weekend she will be attending Dr. Ralph Stanley's 38th Annual Memorial Weekend Bluegrass Festival, which uncle Ralph holds every year in honor of

Last month we told you about a PodCast on UNC-TV that provided a glimpse of the work that goes into making a fiddle. Now we learn of another instance where television has highlighted the craftsmanship associated with the building of musical

The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) yesterday announced the 2008 recipients of the NEA National Heritage Fellowships, the country's highest honor in the folk and traditional arts. Mac Wiseman was among the eleven fellowships, which include a one-time award

Music has long been a medium for the expression of social comment. This is certainly so in country music, if less so within bluegrass. Also, most of the genre's progenitors and many from later generations have come from a rural

This past weekend's USA Weekend, a magazine supplement to many of America's weekend newspapers, has, as its feature article, an assessment of the 10 top places to hear authentic American music. As far as the magazine is concerned the top

Earlier this year Old Wilkes, Inc. and The Blue Ridge Music Hall of Fame (BRMHoF) committee announced the initial induction of several prominent musicians from the Blue Ridge region. The charter inductees to be honored at the first annual Blue Ridge

Rhonda Vincent's 10th career video, I Gotta Start Somewhere from her latest album, Good Thing Going, has been added in medium rotation to CMT's main television channel. It premiered May 1 on CMT'com's Country Music Blog and debuted on CMT

Gospel singer and songwriter Joyce "Dottie" Rambo was killed early Sunday morning while traveling from Illinois to Texas, when her tour bus encountered severe weather on Interstate 44 in southwest Missouri. The bus ran off the road near the town