Recently, at the International Bluegrass Music Association gathering in Raleigh, NC, the AR folks staffed a booth in the exhibit hall. Across from the AR booth was an exhibit promoting a filmmaker’s effort to honor music pioneer, Alice Gerrard. Should you not know, Alice Gerrard along with Hazel Dickens, her friend and fellow pioneering woman in bluegrass music, were among ...

In the May/June 2007 issue of Americana Rhythm, we profiled Mac Wiseman an artist whose musical life transcends time. Born locally in Crimora, VA, but known internationally, Mr. Wiseman, now 91 years old, is still recording and maintains a large following of fans. After our 2007 story, it had been a while since I heard anything new about Mac Wiseman, ...

Some 10 or 12 years ago, I accompanied my son to a music festival in North Carolina to help him staff a trade booth for a magazine for which he worked at the time. We joined 70,000 music fans for four days of string-music greatness of a type that is now known to many as Americana. That experience led to ...

The longer I cruise the edges of this genre of Americana string music that folks now call bluegrass, the more I hear folks make reference to Jimmy Martin. I freely admit he is a personality of which I know less about than I should. Even though I remember the golden radio days when there was plenty of Appalachian string music ...

Last fall, our publisher spent several days at the Americana Music Association convention in Nashville, TN. While there, he made some great new friends in this growing Americana music business. One of the folks he met was a tour director—yes that’s what we said. Now, I expect that many of us have enjoyed taking bus tours. In fact, just this ...

By Ed Tutwiler – I had the good fortune recently to sit in on the making of the annual Christmas album that National Media Services releases every year as its Christmas card. The featured performers for this year are the Circa Blue Bluegrass Band. During a break in the recording session, I sat down for a short chat with Mr. ...

By Edward Tutwiler – All God’s creations have voice. The mountain speaks in silent grander, the flower in radiant beauty, and folks sing and shout. Stringed musical instruments have voice as well. The fiddle cries, the mandolin rings, and the guitar hums with soul. But the banjo, oh the banjo—he is so filled with joy he can’t help but laugh. ...

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 ...

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 ...