Ricky Skaggs (with Eddie Dean) “Kentucky Traveler: My Life In Music ” Dey Street Books, Publisher Ricky Skaggs has lived a life of music and he’s not done yet. Most folks would be proud of having accomplished in their lifetime what he does in a year. Mr. Skaggs decided a few years ago to write […]
Tag: mountain
Irene Kelley: “These Hills”
Irene Kelley “These Hills” Mountain Fever Records Irene Kelley has created a bluegrass record which seems just right- well-conceived, with outstanding songwriting, singing and powerful musicianship. From the trickle down banjo run which introduces “Carolina Wind” to the soulful mountain vibe which exemplifies the final cut, “Before You Call Me Home”, Kelly makes a case for […]
Interview: Frank Solivan
Frank Solivan Has Friends To no-one’s surprise, Frank Solivan is carving a solid career in Bluegrass music. After serving as stalwart in Country Current, the Navy’s touring bluegrass band, Solivan left the service and formed Dirty Kitchen, which is a hat-tip to his background and continuing efforts as a chef. Solivan grew up in an […]
Gina Clowes: “True Colors”
Gina Clowes “True Colors” Mountain Home Music Company Gina Clowes is a product of the mountain tradition, and her solo CD, “True Colors”, allows her to plumb it with her own voicings. Clowes is an accomplished banjo player and has been a member of Chris Jones’ touring band, the NIghtdrivers, since the beginning of 2016. […]
Frank Solivan: “Family, Friends and Heroes”
Frank Solivan “Family, Friends and Heroes” Compass Records Imagine yourself on a grassy bank, or in a camp chair, settling in on a steamy summer day, with a group of friends playing bluegrass music. Frank Solivan’s new release, “Family, Friends and Heroes” transports the listener to that place. Solivan’s world of bluegrass is high and […]
Interview: Bela Fleck and Abigail Washburn
Echoes With Fleck and Washburn Bela Fleck and Abigail Washburn have powerhouse individual talents; each has followed an estimable career path to where they find themselves today: making complex, but spare, records, writing music together, and touring with their son Juno. These days, they are on the road supporting their new release “Echo In The […]
EmiSunshine: “Ragged Dreams”
EmiSunshine “Ragged Dreams” Little Blackbird Records EmiSunshine is a preternaturally talented singer and songwriter with expressive gifts belying her years. “Ragged Dreams”, her third studio album, features her vocal power on a range of songs that draw from the country and mountain tradition. Emilie Sunshine Hamilton hails from East Tennessee and gained traction through social […]
Della Mae: “Della Mae ”
Della Mae “Della Mae ” Rounder Records The time has come to drop the label “female bluegrass band”, as applied to Della Mae. With their second, self-titled, Rounder Records release, Della Mae is simply one of the most accomplished bluegrass acts on the circuit today. The four Dellas (they are a four-piece band on this […]
“Foggy Mountain Troubadour” By Penny Parsons
“Foggy Mountain Troubadour” By Penny Parsons (Forward by Eddie Stubbs) University of Illinois Press Curly Seckler was a key contributor to one of the iconic “first generation” bluegrass groups- The Foggy Mountain Boys. The group, formed by Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs, after their nasty split from Bill Monroe and His Bluegrass Boys in the […]
Victor Furtado: “Victor Furtado”
Victor Furtado “Victor Furtado” Patuxent Music You can’t listen to Victor Furtado without acknowledging his youth. His debut self-titled CD displays his clawhammer banjo style and he’s really good. Bluegrass music resonates tradition, but depends on new and younger players to pick up the thread and spin their own work. Jerry Douglas was a mere […]