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This report on the long-running series of bluegrass shows in Sandy Ridge, NC is a contribution from Jay Adams, banjo player with Rich in Tradition. Jay assumed management of this popular local tradition in 2010 when its founder, Cleo Lemons, turned 90 years of age. Saturday March 19 marked 68 years of bluegrass music at [...]
The 2016 edition of Bluegrass First Class was held this past weekend at the Crowne Plaza resort in Asheville, NC. Everyone seemed to have a fine time enjoying the music and the lovely surroundings, with the possible exception of one banjo player. Gena Britt had finished her set with Grasstowne on Saturday afternoon, and took a [...]
What's up with Grasstowne? That's a question I've heard more than a few times this past few years. Founder and mandolinist Alan Bibey has seen a lot of changes with this band in the nine years since they formed as a partnership between he, Steve Gulley, and Phil Leadbetter. Bibey's partners peeled off over the [...]
The Del McCoury Band after a set at the 2025 Red, White & Bluegrass - photo © Laura Tate Ridge Laura Tate Ridge shared these photos from Friday night and Saturday at the 2015 Red, White & Bluegrass Festival.
Grasstowne will have a new look and sound for 2015. Mandolinist and bandleader Alan Bibey says that they will be going as a four piece, reuniting him with some of his old bluegrass buddies. Justin Jenkins will remain on banjo, with Gena Britt coming in to play bass, and Jimmy Haley on guitar. All four [...]
Master mandolinist Alan Bibey spent the early part of the week at the Berklee College of Music in Boston, Masachusetts. He had been invited up as part of the school's program to bring top touring professionals to work with students in their Traditional String principal for mandolin, guitar, fiddle and banjo. This relatively new program [...]
Grasstowne has announced that Shannon Slaughter has joined the band, playing guitar and singing lead. But wait a minute... Doesn't Shannon already have a band of his own, County Clare? That's right, but he and Alan Bibey with Grasstowne have come to an agreement to work around any potential scheduling conflicts, allowing Slaughter to perform [...]
We caught up with Alan Bibey over the weekend to discuss all things Grasstowne. Their next Mountain Fever project, Grasstowne 4, is finished but for the mixing, and is set for release early in 2014. Alan said that its completion was delayed by both he and lead singer Blake Johnson coming down with laryngitis when studio [...]
Here's still another gallery of Frank Baker's images from the August 2013 Gettysburg Bluegrass Festival.
The Grasstowne boys are still tooling around northern Europe, completing a tour of Finland and Norway that concludes this week. They have a few more shows in Norway, and then back across the Atlantic and home. As he has been able, Alan Bibey has sent along photos from their shows, as well as some of [...]
