Opinion / Humor

Mr. Bluegrass Manners has had an unusually busy fall, or maybe it's a normally busy fall, but because of the sharp contrast with the fall of 2020, it just seems unusual. In the course of relearning how to multi-task (while

In many parts of our society, we place a high value on being positive. "Just stay positive," we're often told, even if we've just received the news that we have three months to live. Some countries are more positive than others,

A couple of years ago—and given the pandemic time warp we've all experienced, that could be anywhere from one to eight years—I wrote a column about pronoun switches. The idea was inspired by Pete Wernick, who thought there were several

As we head into the Halloween weekend, with all the little ones preparing to scare us out of our boots with their spooky costumes, we've put together a very special video for your entertainment and edification. We have contacted a legitimate

This week, the first Friday without our beloved Sonny Osborne, we thought we would do something a bit different. Since Sonny is no longer able to answer everyone's questions, we instead asked several prominent people in bluegrass to share their

I've discussed in past columns the fact that, while bluegrass bands still get booked at weddings, there are at most three appropriate bluegrass songs to play at a wedding. Even some of the instrumentals are questionable, at least if you

Sonny, Who came up with the Gitjo? The pickin that you did on that was great! Also, when you worked for Bill Monroe, I was wondering In those days if they had you to do any of the driving? Thanks, Mark K. Driving Mister

I want to describe a scene at a typical bluegrass concert or festival that will probably be familiar to both artist and fan, and it may cause each to shudder just a little: A fan walks up to a performer while

Sonny is again unable to answer questions this week, so we are rerunning one of his classic columns. Let's hope he will be back with us next week. Sonny, If you don't mind, please a few words and thoughts about Kenny

We're constantly trying to find new and more effective ways to market bluegrass music to a wider audience, or just a less narrow audience, if you want to look at it that way. I've recently returned from the IBMA World