Frank Wakefield remembered, by Doug McKelway
Doug McKelway and Frank Wakefield Doug McKelway is a good friend to Bluegrass Today, an experienced television newscaster, and a bluegrass banjo player. He was also a good friend to mandolin maestro Frank Wakefield, who died last week in New York. Doug shared this remembrance of how he and Frank met, and their time together, […]
Vince Gill sings Bury Me Beneath the Willow on new Tony Trischka single
The latest single from Tony Trischka’s upcoming Earl Jam: A Tribute To Earl Scruggs project, a star-studded recording featuring his transcriptions of Scruggs’ solos from jams with John Hartford, is an arrangement of the timeless mountain folk song, Bury Me Beneath the Willow, with Vince Gill singing the lead. We’ve described this unique album previously […]
New IBMA webinar celebrates the life of Earl Scruggs
Attention banjo pickers and Earl Scruggs fans! The International Bluegrass Music Association is hosting a free webinar on May 15 offering a glimpse into the life of banjo innovator Earl Scruggs. It will be offered on the IBMA Facebook page at noon, central time. Tony Trischka, whose new album, Earl Jam, includes his transcribed arrangements […]
Reable’s Bender – new banjo tune from Trevor Watson
If you don’t recognize the name Trevor Watson, you surely know his banjo playing. The southwest Virginia picker has appeared on multiple projects from Shannon Slaughter, and worked with Lou Reid & Carolina for several years. Trevor was called upon to fill in for the late Ben Eldridge in The Seldom Scene in 2015 after […]
Reuben’s Train video from Todd Taylor
What’s this…? Rock ‘n’ roll banjo man Todd Taylor playing an Earl Scruggs tune? Someone must have gotten their signals crossed. Nope… Taylor is just returning to the Scruggs’ style banjo he mastered in his youth, when he first came to wide attention. It was as a teen and young adult that he made repeated […]
Broadcast/podcast info for From The Top – Rural Episode
Back in February we reported that 16-year-old North Carolina banjo phenom, Bayla Davis, who plays with her siblings in Newfound Gap, had been chosen as a a 2023-’24 Learning and Media Lab Fellowship by From The Top, an organization that seeks to further and foster the careers of outstanding young musical artists. What was unique about her fellowship […]
Jeromie Stephens’s memories of Ben Eldridge
Ben Eldridge and Emmylou Harris at the Birchmere (7/15/13) – photo © Jeromie Stephens As we mourn the loss today of banjo maestro Ben Eldridge, ace photographer Jeromie Stephens has combed through his archives and shared a few images he has captured over the years.
Ben Eldridge passes
Ben Eldridge, legendary banjo player and co-founder of the equally legendary Seldom Scene, passed away of natural causes on Sunday evening, Apil 14, 2024, aged 85. Benjamin ‘Ben’ Eldridge was born in Richmond, Virginia, on August 15, 1938. His early Influences included Earl Scruggs (predominantly), Don Reno, Ralph Stanley, Sonny Osborne, Allen Shelton, and Mac […]
Calton and Hoffee Cases to merge
The two top manufacturers of high quality musical instrument flight cases, Calton and Hoffee, have announced plans for a merger. Calton, whose molded fiberglass cases are made in Austin, TX, and Hoffee, who make their carbon fiber cases near Chicago, believe that by combining their energies, they will both be better able to continue serving […]
Cape Breton & Prince Edward Island Fiddle Tunes for Clawhammer Banjo from Ken Perlman
Old time super picker Ken Perlman has released his latest book for banjo players with Mel Bay Publications. Cape Breton & Prince Edward Island Fiddle Tunes for Clawhammer Banjo is now available, and its title perfectly describes what is offered in the book. Ken has transcribed 136 fiddle tunes from the island cultures of eastern […]
