With Doyle Lawson’s recent retirement from active touring, the bluegrass festival in Denton, NC that has borne his name this past four decades has been rechristened. Last week the management of the Denton Farm Park announced that the Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver Bluegrass Festival will henceforth be hosted by The Malpass Brothers, and renamed as The Malpass Brothers Bluegrass and Country Festival. Doyle immediately offered his full support to the change, saying that “North Carolina loves their native sons, The Malpass Brothers, and everyone will love The Malpass Brothers Bluegrass and Coun ..read more

Mountain Fever Records has a new single for bluegrass vocalist Amanda Cook, Another Highway This Time, from Nashville songwriters Thomm Jutz and Mark Fain. Amanda days that this song is deeply personal to her, and her bandmates, coming to them at a time when they were all hurting from a profound loss. “Thomm sent me the demo of Another Highway This Time in early 2021, shortly after the passing of our best friend and guitar player Aaron ‘Frosty’ Foster. To me, the song perfectly expressed how I was feeling. We know that we will always cherish the memories we have with Frosty from our travels ..read more

This is the first time there’s been a need for a quiz follow-up, but it seems some issues have arisen: For one thing, it was brought to my attention by a reader we’ll call “Lee” (I prefer to maintain reader anonymity) that my Fox On the Run question was inaccurate because I had used the word “written” in the question, when in fact the song wasn’t written by any member of the band Manfred Mann, but was instead written for Manfred Mann by Tony Hazzard, a songwriter from Liverpool who also wrote songs for Herman’s Hermits, the Yardbirds, and others. Hazzard also wrote Ha! Ha! Said the Clown for ..read more

Pinecastle Records has released a new single from The Tim Raybon Band, their first since being rechristened as such after performing as Merle Monroe for several years. Tim grew up singing alongside his brother, Marty, their older brother Ricky, and Kenny, their father as American Bluegrass Express. When Marty returned to bluegrass Tim was there playing bass and singing tenor, and now that Marty is back with Shenandoah, Tim is leading a band of his own. The single is one Tim wrote called Leaving Cleveland, a positive, upbeat number as is his style, about giving up the busy city life, and the ..read more

Kentuckians Ricky Skaggs and Steven Curtis Chapman have organized a benefit concert later this month for those who lost homes and property in the Mayfield, KY tornados on December 10. A total of 76 people lost their lives as more than 30 storms pounded the region. The show is scheduled for Sunday, February 20 at Heartland Church in Paduka, KY, featuring Chapman and his band, Skaggs with Kentucky Thunder, Jason Crabb, Larry Stewart, and others. All proceeds from the show will be donated to western Kentucky residents through Samaritan’s Purse. Tickets are being sold now online. Ricky says that ..read more

Alex DePue, the fiddling sensation of The DePue Brothers, died this past Thursday, January 27, as a result of a car accident while he was in Mexico. He was 49 years of age. Alex, and his brothers, performed an interesting mix of classical, bluegrass, and rock, which they dubbed “grassical music.” Raised in Kentucky, where their father was a music professor at Bowling Green State University, the boys all studied classical music in their youth, and have found careers in the business as violinists. But when they get together as The DePue Brothers (Wallace, Jason, Alex, and Zach), they put on a ..read more

Pete Corum, 73-year-old North Carolina singer and bassist, best known for his time backing Lester Flatt & the Nashville Grass in the mid-1970s, passed away on December 1, 2021. A memorial service reflecting on his musical career was held this past Sunday (January 30) at Troutman Church of God in Troutman, NC. Special guests included Jim Lauderdale and Jack Lawrence. The church’s pastor, Connor Lambert, who is also mandolinist with the Sons of the South, welcomed those gathered that included family, friends, and musicians. “We are here to celebrate Pete Corum’s life and the music that he ..read more

The 2022 SPBGMA Bluegrass Music Awards are being announced tonight in Nashville. Our correspondent on the scene, Nick Newlon, is sharing the results as they come in, so if you keeping refreshing or returning to this page, you can see the winners in real time. First up, the winners of the International Banjo Championship. Retro 78 The Baker Family Sylamore Special The Waddington Brothers Kentucky Just Us Joshua Kemble & Ranger Alliance Barefoot Nellie and Co Echo Valley Bonnie Bevins & Carolina Drive Heading Home Bluegrass Red Mountain Boys Angel Chantel Winners of the 2022 SPBGMA B ..read more

Pinecastle Records has released a lead off single from their next album for Dale Ann Bradley, a soulful country number sung as a duet with label mate Danny Paisley. They’ve chosen an absolute classic, One By One, originally done by Kitty Wells and Red Foley in 1954. The song was written by Jim Anglin, Jack Anglin, and Johnny Wright, and the track was a #1 hit for Kitty and Red. Dale Ann and Danny have reprised the duet structure, trading lines throughout and harmonizing on the others. They are supported by Jim Hurst on guitar, Matt Leadbetter on reso-guitar, Michael Cleveland on fiddle, and ..read more

Wonderful news for Bluegrass Cardinals fans! David Parmley, Randy Graham, and Larry Stephenson will be reuniting for select shows this year as Bluegrass Cardinals Tribute. They will be revisiting much of the great music made by the Cardinals in their hey day. Randy tells us that they chose not to call the show a reunion, as it won’t contain all past members, especially with the passing of David’s father, Don Parmley, who started the group in California before they headed east in 1976 to resettle in Virginia. Graham was there from the beginning, with Don and David, and moved with the Par ..read more