“The dreadnought guitar is the backbone of bluegrass music, and bluegrass guitarists are among the genre’s most talented vanguards. Early bluegrass guitarists like Doc Watson and Clarence White made opening arguments about the guitar’s place as a leading instrument in … Read More
From his humble beginnings as Bill Monroe’s bus driver to his modern award-winning success, no one today quite embodies bluegrass like Del McCoury—and few others have so many great stories to tell. Del’s voice, songwriting cues, and iconic band (featuring … Read More
“Bob Dylan has a songwriting footprint that has extended across half a century and more than its fair share of musical genres—including bluegrass! Covers of Dylan’s most popular songs have come out of the bluegrass genre since the days of … Read More
When I head to a jam, I always have my capo at the ready—there’s never been a picking’ party I’ve been to without a couple tunes in the key of B! The key of Bluegrass is a hard one to … Read More
Bluegrass music has a lot of favorite themes: heartbreak, the blues, lonesomeness… hmm let’s see, what else… oh yeah, and trains! Some of the genre’s best anthems integrate the evocative sounds and feelings of the railroad. From Flatt and Scruggs’s … Read More
“Bluegrass music undoubtedly has a robust standard repertoire. Songs that Flatt and Scruggs, Jimmy Martin, and Ola Belle Reed wrote half a century ago are still played from private jams to the Ryman auditorium—and everywhere between. Some songs have gotten … Read More
Hello there, David Chernack here! This is the first in a series of curated bluegrass Spotify playlists, each with an individual theme. Up first: Bluegrass 2020. The music world has undoubtedly taken a hard hit in 2020 due to the … Read More
During a downer summer devoid of festivals and pickin’ parties, some of bluegrass’s best artists have released some amazing studio material. This year has continued to be a bummer for the music world: artists from your local favorites to the … Read More
Festivals may be curtailed and jams may be sparse, but some of the genre’s best artists are still releasing some great music this year. It’s no secret that 2020 has been a lousy year so far. With nearly every collaborative … Read More
From left to right: Edgar Meyer, Casey Dreissen, Bela Fleck, Sam Bush, Jerry Douglas, and Bryan Sutton. Instrumental music holds a special place in my heart. I was trained as a classical violist, and my first introduction to bluegrass music … Read More