Opinion / Humor

Dear Sonny, Did you ever cross paths with Don Stover? And if so, what did you make of his banjo style? I'm a New England guy, and Don and the Lilly Brothers meant a lot to us during many years they

It's the IBMA World of Bluegrass week-after. I usually go through my annual post-IBMA bluegrass cleanse during this week, which involves vigorous exercise (five push-ups), listening to music based on instruments Bill Monroe didn't like: the flute, the harp, the

Sonny LOVE THIS COLUMN! Please give us your thoughts on the 5-string dobro. My best wishes for your health. MC Hey M.C., thank you for participating in our free-for-all. The instrument you are referring to is the dojo. It’s an instrument I started

I've just arrived at the IBMA World of Bluegrass and I have a short report that mainly has to do with the check-in process. If you've kept up with social media discussions (something I don't recommend), you may recall there was

Bobby, my dear brother and partner of 52 years... I'm so happy for you because I see you are #1 on the Bluegrass Today playlist chart this week. White Line Fever was a good choice. I didn't hardly agree with the

For my band, Labor Day weekend marked the first return to playing in front of in-person audiences. Now, a few weeks later, after more festival dates and some real night-driving thrown in (Bean Blossom to Nashville in the wee hours),

We just lost one the most prolific songwriters ever in Tom T. Hall. Did the Osborne Brothers ever play any shows together? And did you all record any of his songs? Thanks for your time! Sean M Yes on both counts. We did

My band's first show in front of real people since March of 2020 (we did an entire tour with pretend audiences in late 2020) was over the Labor Day weekend at Thomas Point Beach in Maine. It's a wonderful event,

Sonny is again unable to respond to questions this week, so we are re-running another of his most popular columns. Let’s hope he is back at it next week. Is it true you lifted up your banjo on stage into a ceiling fan

As of the Labor Day weekend, I have returned to touring and playing music for people I can actually see. For me this often involves cross-border air travel, and it did this past weekend. I was expecting it to be