Since the 1960s, David Grisman has been redefining what that mandolin means in bluegrass—and even what bluegrass means itself. With a laundry list of collaborators from Andy Statman to Jerry Garcia to Ricky Skaggs to John Hartford, Grisman’s unmistakable “Dawg” … Read More
Whether it’s down in the mines or on the chain gang, hammers feature somewhat heavily in bluegrass music. This includes classics like “Big Spike Hammer” on the Bluegrass Album Band’s California Connection and “Nine Pound Hammer” on the Tony Rice … Read More
Just as there are essential bluegrass tunes that just about every bluegrasser should know, there are the essential songs: classic numbers like “The Old Home Place” and “Nine Pound Hammer” will never raise an eyebrow at a jam, and just … Read More
There are some bluegrass tunes that are just essential—the kind that 99% of pickers will know how to play when called at a jam. These tunes, like “Big Sciota” and “Cherokee Shuffle,” are jam standards that are a good way … Read More
The consensus is clear: Tony Rice says it was never meant to be. Flat Lonesome reports that it’s just sad. Hot Rise says it’s time to walk the way the wind blows. Breakup songs make up a big chunk of … Read More
Dan Tyminski is a man of constant sorr- er, I mean, a man of many voices. The venerable Union Station member has a powerful vocal presence—with inimitable performances like his iconic take on “I am a Man of Constant Sorrow”—as … Read More
Whether it’s down in the mines, on the farm, or on the railroad line, some of bluegrass music’s best songs celebrate (or bellyache) about working life. Makes sense for a genre with such blue collar roots! Some songs on this … Read More
In bluegrass music, each bluegrasser is expected to know a good number of instrumental fiddle tunes to keep up at a jam. While tunes like “Cherokee Shuffle,” “Big Sciota,” and “Gold Rush” are known by just about every picker, there … Read More
On May 5th, the world lost Gordon Lightfoot, one of the most influential and accomplished folk musicians of all time. Lightfoot’s complex yet gentle songwriting, often with environmentalist and transcendentalist undertones, made his works big hits in rock, folk, and … Read More
Most songs and tunes in the bluegrass canon have been around the block a couple of times—to say the least. Many classics dating back to the first generation of bluegrass performers or earlier have been recorded dozens of times throughout … Read More