Cross Canadian Ragweed was a pioneering force in the Red Dirt and Texas country music scenes, blending rock, country, and Southern influences into a unique sound that resonated with fans across the country. Formed in 1994 in Yukon, Oklahoma, the band consisted of Cody Canada (lead vocals and guitar), Grady Cross (guitar), Randy Ragsdale (drums), and Jeremy Plato (bass). The ...

Don Cusic is about to release the first comprehensive biography of country icon Chet Atkins in June 2025. The book itself is twelve years in the making, an effort to fill a major gap in country music history by this professor and music historian from Belmont University in Nashville. Along with his academic qualifications, Don brings a life-long love of ...

In October 2021, officials inducted David Anthony (Tony) Rice as the 2021 member of the North Carolina Music Hall of Fame. Tragically, this 2021 induction was a last recognition of Rice’s achievements and came in the form of a posthumous award as Mr. Rice had passed away at the age of 69 the previous December. Of course this last recognition ...

Corey Hunt and Todd Allmon, primary songwriters for Corey Hunt and the Wise, were high school buddies; but the story of their being in a band together doesn’t follow the typical template for this kind thing. Corey didn’t pick up guitar and start writing until college, and Todd only decided to take up playing music after much time spent supporting ...

These days, Kyle Davis is enjoying an extended second act as a singer-songwriter. In his previous musical life, he achieved a level of success many artists strive for but never grasp. He has also experienced the vicissitudes of the music industry firsthand. As for the origin of his creativity, Kyle says, “I was bitten by the bug early on,” and ...

Rock Hearts is a bluegrass group based in the south—the southern part of New England, that is. Despite their physical distance from the southern Appalachian center of bluegrass, their dedication to the musical traditions of the genre places them squarely in its musical territory. According to the band’s lead singer and guitarist Alex MacLeod, “We are a New England-based bluegrass ...

Singer-songwriter, horse breeder/trainer and occasional chef Mike Schikora says “I always keep plates spinning; life’s much too short to have one focus.” His latest album, Outlaw from the South (his third solo effort, released July 2024) reflects this diversity of interests, in that, according to Mike, it has no single overall theme. “This is the first time I went without ...

Bluegrass fans will probably recognize Daryl Mosley from his work with New Tradition, The Osborne Brothers and The Farm Hands. Most recently he has also carved out a satisfying solo career, which has seen him release four solo albums over the last five years. Daryl’s fourth solo album, Long Days and Short Stories, which came out in October, turned out ...

The members of bluegrass outfit Appalachian Smoke literally embody the first part of their moniker, all residing in the southern portion of the great mountain chain. “…Where Tennessee, Georgia and North Carolina all meet, there’s kind of a point there and we’re all roughly an hour away from that in different directions,” says Tim Williams, the group’s bass player, when ...

““It just feels like, it can’t be 20 years.” That’s what founding member, Danny Roberts said to me recently, when we sat down to chat about the 20 year anniversary of the Grascals. “We’ve had some ups and downs, and a few member changes along the way, but it’s been a great ride this far. I just can’t I look ...