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Well, 2011 has come to a close, and for bluegrass, it was exceptional year. We saw new releases from nearly everyone, and many were exceptional. It really is a great time to be a bluegrass fan. There are more albums coming out than ever before, and it is easier than ever to get bluegrass music [...]
Keith Lawrence, the esteemed journalist at the Owensboro Messenger-Enquirer, has been writing about bluegrass music for the newspaper since 1985. Additionally, he has a blog, Bluegrass Notes, which he has been writing since 1991. Earlier this month Lawrence published his Ten Best Albums of 2011. They are, as follows ….. 10. NewFound Road Live At The [...]
Bristol Virginia's Mountain Music Museum unveiled a permanent Larry Sparks exhibit this past Saturday (10/15). Larry was in attendance, where he spoke briefly and performed with the ETSU Bluegrass Pride Band. The Museum is a project of the Appalachian Cultural Music Association, located in the Bristol Mall, where admission is free 7 days a week. Sparks [...]
Rebel Records has been focusing of late on a slew of re-issues and compilations from their rich catalog of bluegrass music. This week, they have announced five more sure to warm the hearts of fans who remember the '70s and '80s - or who missed out on the great music from that era. There are [...]
Rebel Records has two new digital reissues which were released last week. We have on many occasions tipped our cap to the Rebel folks for their ongoing efforts to digitize and re-release their rich back catalog of classic bluegrass, generally at the rate of two per month. These two late April offerings capture a pair [...]
March will be a big month for Rounder Records. They have new projects coming from Charlie Sizemore, Steve Martin, Sierra Hull... and Larry Sparks. Sparks, our current godfather of traditional bluegrass, is at the height of his career, enjoying later in life the same sort of celebrity that has come to Del McCoury. Like Del, [...]
Joe Mullins & The Radio Ramblers have released one of the finest bluegrass Gospel records of the past few years. No surprise there, as Mullins has a long history of producing such, and is himself one of the finest tenor singers in the business. He has also assembled a first-rate band, and brought in such [...]
Rebel Records has announced February 1, 2011 as the release date for Hymns From The Hills, the first all-Gospel project from Joe Mullins & The Radio Ramblers. Mullins has established himself as one of bluegrass music's true Renaissance men. Before purchasing and successfully managing a number of radio stations in southern Ohio, Joe established himself [...]
Don Rigsby is hard at work this winter, recording a tribute album to one of his chief musical heroes, Ralph Stanley. Rigsby tells us that it will be called Doctor's Orders, and be released on Rebel Records. He and Ralph picked out the material together, and the good Doctor will also appear as a guest [...]
OK... so discontinued isn't the right word, but there will be no more of these solid wood, Larry Sparks Blueridge guitars made. When Saga Music introduced their BR-3060 guitar as a Sparks signature model in 2009, it was marketed as a limited edition instrument. The intended number have now been built, so current inventory is [...]
