Ricky Skaggs (Eleven-time IBMA award winner) and his band Kentucky Thunder will be one of the featured performers for this years Wide Open Bluegrass Festival, scheduled for downtown Raleigh, NC, Friday September 30th – Saturday October 1st. Wide Open Bluegrass is just a part of the IBMA’s conference which gets under way on Tuesday, September 27th. The street fest is ...

By Greg Tutwiler   Often referred to as “Southern Rock Roy-alty,” and even the “great American rock ‘n’ roll band,” The Kentucky Headhunters have sustained a music career that many dream about, and yet few have sustained. Music making that spans decades, brothers Richard and Fred Young, along with their cousins Greg Martin and Anthony Kenny formed their first band ...

Recently, while talking to Michael Johnathon of Public Broadcasting’s  WoodSongs Old-Time Radio Hour, I asked him to comment a bit about his SongFarmer Album that showed up in the AR office review bin a few weeks back. The album is a likable mix of singer/songwriter selections that glide real easy into the ears. However, this is not just another great ...

The blues community in our coverage area is small but furiously loyal to its music. They remain underground to some degree and we do not have the opportunity to speak to them thru our magazine as often as we would like. Thus, it is an honor to be able to feature prestigious folks such as the ones that this story ...

Like so many singers, RJ Comer’s roots are linked to the church choir, but also like many, the path is winding and storied from there. The LA story teller finds his songs boiling out of the Americana and Blues that run deep through his veins. “My mom was a choir director and started me on a path really towards classical ...

As hard as it is to believe, the longer evenings and the grass in my yard tell me that spring is once again here, and summer is right around the corner. For music lovers, this is a most welcome sign. Festival season is almost here. For many this will be a chance to see many of your favorite artists at ...

In past issues, AR writers have told various story themes about house concerts and championed how folks use them to bring live music to their friends and neighbors. Recently, the AR office received a bit of information about a new take on this subject. It is called a SongFarmer Club. It is an outflow of the WoodSongs musical fount. Let ...

A few years ago I encountered a lady in Paint Bank, WVA who crafted string music instruments from the most unusual of found household objects. Her creations were realistic banjo and guitar type instruments, and when amplified and played by a good picker, were surprisingly easy on the ears. I considered her creations unique until someone recently asked me if ...