• Bluegrass song epilogues

    Last week, after passing along some of the findings in my research into the whereabouts of some familiar characters in bluegrass songs, I received some questions, comments, and suggestions. The suggestions, which mostly involved where I should go, and what I

  • Bluegrass Celebrity Ghost Stories

    We've all heard tales of boredom on the road, and the clever and often ingenious ways that touring musicians find to occupy their down time. Experienced road warriors know that if you don't find something fun or productive to do

  • Time to Shake Things Up at IBMA

    At one point during Wednesday night’s announcement of nominees for this year’s IBMA awards, Jim Lauderdale caught himself reading the choices for female vocalist of the year for the second time, and Sam Bush kidded about having a déjà vu moment. Unfortunately,

  • What your fast food choices say about you

    Judging by the hate mail, the slashed tires, and the kidnapping of my goldfish, I’d say last week’s column was a little too edgy. And I guess I understand; after all, what could be more controversial than suggesting that entertainers

  • Do’s and Don’ts for bluegrass MCs

    This is the third in a series on stage-show MC work. In the previous installment, I tried to  answer a few frequently asked questions (or FAQ, for those in a hurry), covering issues like who should do most of the

  • Doyle’s blooper reel

    While working in the studio on their Classic History album, Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver had the cameras rolling to capture footage for a promo video for Doyle's new Family of Friends fan club. The CD, only available to Family of