Bluegrass At Large

Five string banjo pickers in the US, especially here in my home state of Virginia, typically know a little something about Joel Sweeney of Appomattox. He was an early popularizer of the banjo in the pre-Civil War south, often using

The 2016 edition of Bluegrass First Class was held this past weekend at the Crowne Plaza resort in Asheville, NC. Everyone seemed to have a fine time enjoying the music and the lovely surroundings, with the possible exception of one banjo

This past September we reported on prominent bluegrass songwriter, publisher, and studio owner Bobby Starnes suffering serious injury after tumbling down the stairs in his Kingsport, TN home. The fall caused several broken bones, but of most concern to his

Al Ferguson, known in the banjo world as the developer of the Perfect Pitch capo, has a new product to introduce to the fretted stringed instrument world. The Fret Paw capo goes against most of the tradition in the capo world, which

Earlier this week several members of Flatt Lonesome made a trip to Memphis, TN to visit the St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, and to deliver a check representing the proceeds from the band's first ever live online concert event. The band

Things are starting to heat up between two of bluegrass music's prominent brother acts. As part of their campaign to win the coveted hosting position at the 2016 International Bluegrass Music Awards, The Darrell Bothers have taken to impugning the

DR Strings in Emerson, NJ has announced the introduction of a new line of strings for acoustic, flat top guitars. Their VERITAS strings are a hex-core, phosphor bronze string designed for long life without the need for coatings or surface treatment. DR

LeRoy "Mack' McNees is well-known for playing dobro with the Country Boys (later the Kentucky Colonels), and for his appearances on the Andy Griffith Show. He is a favorite at the annual Mayberry Days reunions in Mount Airy, North Carolina. A devout

It's the worst nightmare for a picker. You borrow an instrument to take to a festival, and it turns up missing. Now you not only have no instrument, but have to face explaining the loss to a trusting friend. That's the

Sammy Shelor, banjoist extraordinaire and leader of the indomitable Lonesome River Band, was surprised last week when he was presented with the Key to the City of Martinsville, VA. Shelor was performing with some buddies of his at Mtn' Jax Restaurant