As a host and member of Nashville’s Grand Ole Opry, Johnny Russell was one of Country Music’s most popular entertainers before his death in 2001. As a recording artist and songwriter he was also one of its most influential practitioners. This was Johnny Russell’s final recording before his death, and serves as a fitting tribute [...]
When the late Josh Graves joined Lester Flatt & Earl Scruggs’ Foggy Mountain Boys in the early 1950′s, it changed bluegrass music forever. Josh’s DobroTM gave the music the polish it needed to compete with the newly electrified country music of the day, and Josh’s virtuosity complimented that of Earl Scruggs, as they played off [...]
Pam Gadd was first noticed by the country music audience in 1989 when the single “Breaking New Ground” hit the top ten for her country group Wild Rose. Pam was the lead singer for the group, as well as a crack musician and influential songwriter. This “all girl” group recorded for MCA records, and they [...]
Benny Martin was one of the greatest fiddle players in bluegrass music. His work with Lester Flatt & Earl Scruggs set a standard that remains today, and his playing is viewed by many as the greatest fiddle work ever in the genre. In addition, Benny Martin was one of country music’s rising stars in the [...]
Bobby Osborne is one of the best known voices in bluegrass music. He and his brother Sonny are known as “The Osborne Brothers,” and as members of The Grand Ole Opry they have long been one the most popular groups in bluegrass and country music. They are also members of the International Bluegrass Music Association’s [...]
Glen Duncan remembers the first time he heard Kenny Baker: In 1976 my Dad and I went to Bean Blossom for a Sunday show, really to see Ralph Stanley. (Bill) Monroe was on the show, but we’d seen Bill so many times that when Bill came on we were actually leaving. I got to the [...]
Vassar Clements is one of the most celebrated fiddlers of all time, and one of the most revered instrumentalists in bluegrass music. Although he grew up listening to jazz and swing music, Vassar Clements became one of Bill Monroe’s “Bluegrass Boys” in 1949 at the age of 14. He became a session player in the [...]
Winner of the National Heritage Fellowship, the most prestigious honor in folk and traditional arts awarded by the National Endowment for the Arts. “Bending the Rules” is a final nominee for the IBMA Instrumental Album of the Year. Read more about it here. Grand Ole Opry member since1964 Jesse McReynolds is universally considered one of [...]
Buddy Spicher has been one of “Music City’s” most in-demand studio musicians for over three decades and he helped define modern country music. He is known as the consummate professional musician; versatile and creative and able to provide arrangements that have stood the test of time. His style of playing and arranging is easily recognizable [...]
In the 1960′s Buck Owens and the Buckaroos were hitting their stride as the best country band, and probably the best band period, in the USA. The “freight-train” Bakersfield sound they created was becoming more and more natural, and the fluency with which they applied it to their songs grew more and more exciting. “Together [...]
“Lifes Highway” is the latest groundbreaking act by Grand Ole Opry star Jeannie Seely. This 2003 OMS Records release gathers together a bunch of Jeannie’s friends and Opry family for an all-out bluegrass picking and singing party, where the result is a fireball of talent an abundance of fun. You’ll listen to this one over [...]
There are only a handful of instrumentalists that have been as influential in bluegrass and country music in the last few years as fiddler Glen Duncan. He has been in three of the hottest bluegrass groups during this period, including Longview, Rock County, and Lonesome Standard Time. He has been a contributor to some of [...]
From the vibrant bluegrass/acoustic folk scene in New England emerges Bill Henry. For over 20 years Bill has been the lead singer/guitarist for the bluegrass/newgrass group Northern Lights. On this solo recording Bill gathers a powerful group of instrumentalists and singers and a satchel of perfectly suited songs to construct a diverse array of tracks. [...]
From his days as a 16 year old host of WSM Radio’s “Young Country” and his 41 appearances on the famous Grand Ole Opry, Billy Troy has been considered one of the inside talents of CounCountry Music. As a songwriter his songs have been recorded by artists including Gene Watson, David Frizzell, Janie Fricke, Terri [...]