Music

Another giant passes in the world of three finger banjo. J.D. Crowe died in the early hours of this morning in hospice care at home. He was 84 years of age. The Crowe family has not commented on his cause of

Over their careers in and around bluegrass, many people have commented on the parallels between John Cowan and Ray Cardwell. Both men have high tenor voices, play bass, and made their names in the early days of newgrass music. Now we

Williamson Branch also has a new Christmas single this year, A Very Merry Christmas, written by David Stewart and Megan Torve. It's a joyous song, in a bluegrass style, sung by the eldest of the Williamson siblings, Melody Williamson Keyes, who

The Wooks are an interesting Kentucky band whose bluegrass roots influence a hybrid style that walks the line between jamgrass and contemporary grass. They have released a clever animated video for the first single from their upcoming project, Flyin' High,

Mel Bay has a new tune book in their Mandolin Picking Tunes series, one titled Celtic Gems, written by Tommy Norris. This slim 52-page volume contains 30 traditional fiddle tunes, plus 2 by Irish harpist Turlough O'Carolan and 1 by Bill

Kyle Wood, noted bluegrass mandolinist and vocalist, and founding member of Crucial Smith, died on December 19 following a long illness. He was 55 years of age. Born Ronald Kyle Wood in Nashville in 1966, he was educated at Ohio Valley

40 Horse Mule, Nashville-based remote bluegrass recording artists, have a new single, again featuring the singing of Billy Troy. The band, which at one time performed and tracked together in one spot, still gets together using modern technology to participate in

Southern Raised, the singing Reith family of southwestern Missouri, has put together a special Christmas video for this season. It's of them performing Carol of the Bells, one of the more musically interesting songs found in the familiar holiday fare. This

The Tennessee Bluegrass Band, surely one of the most highly anticipated young bands in our music of late, is already dealing with personnel changes. With a new album already completed for Billy Blue Records, and a solid year of dates booked

The Cotton Pickin' Kids, i.e., the Cipollari family from Cullman, AL, have released a number of videos this month with songs from their latest album, A Dixie Christmas. The Kids range in age from 11 to 19, and have built a