Monthly Archives: January 2023

There is just something about Guthrie, OK and the love of bluegrass music. For Lisa Sorrell, that combination led her to become one of the finest custom shoe and boot makers in the country.

It all began with her dad, Don Johnson.

“While driving home (which was in Guthrie) from Oklahoma city, Don witnessed a hawk drop down and grab a snake in his mouth; later that evening, Don drew a sketch of that. Lisa was 4-5 years old, and with pencil in hand she sketched that vision,” shared her mother, Lana Johnson.

Every year for Christmas and birthdays, Lisa got art sets. She was 12 years old when she expressed an interest in sewing. Lana taught her the basics of sewing. One of the most important things Lisa learned was, “This is the tension. Don’t touch the tension.”

The Johnson family moved quite a bit, and eventually settled in Neosho, MO. Lisa’s natural sewing talent allowed her to get better and better, and it wasn’t long before she held the title of seamstress for the Neosho Missouri Choir at the Ozark Bible Institute, which was her last big project in Missouri.

Lisa and Dale Sorrell were wed in 1989 and the couple moved back to Guthrie, OK. Soon after their arrival, Lisa responded to an ad in the local newspaper, advertising for a top stitcher at a local boot shop. Jay Griffith, legendary cowboy boot maker, handed Lisa an application. That application wasn’t on paper; it was actually, leather tops for a boot. A mere two weeks later, Griffith labeled Sorrell as the best he had seen. Sorrel and Griffith worked side by side for 1 ½ years. 

Sorrell Custom Boots opened in 1996, and Lisa set out to become one of the most creative and notorious boot makers in the world, a goal she has surely accomplished in spades. She actually quit counting the number of custom boots that she had crafted at 500. 

Her work has come to the attention of a number of celebrities. In 1997, Marty Stuart contacted Sorrell to donate him a pair of boots in exchange for advertising her wares. Lisa had to decline as she couldn’t afford to do so so soon after the shop had opened. But now, Lisa shared, she hopes he will ask again. “Marty, I will donate you a pair now. Contact me!” She is pleased that Marty understands crafting.  

One day Byron Berline was walking back from the bank and dropped into the boot shop in downtown Guthrie. As they were visiting, Berline came across Lisa’s portfolio and a picture of her Sorrell’s Cherokee Fiddle boots. Sorrel shared that Berline said, “That’s me. I recorded Cherokee Fiddle, I was the fiddle player on that recording.”

Music has always been an inspiration for Sorrell. In her youth, Lisa remembered a few country and bluegrass albums her family listened to, such as Buck Owens, Dust on my Bible, and the Louvin Brothers, Satan is Real album. “Bluegrass has my heart, and classic country has my soul,” she says. Lisa actually names each pair of boots after songs that inspire her.

Lisa is a mother of two, Arthur, a librarian, and a daughter, Paige, who was her mother’s shadow in the shop.  At the age of 12, Paige made her first pair of leather shoes. Paige received a full ride to the University of Central Oklahoma, but only after one semester, came home and told her mom, “I don’t want to go to college. I want to be a boot maker.” And she did. But Paige passed away in 2017, and with her death also went the wind out of Lisa’s sail.

Lisa has a very personal platform which she bases her work and life upon. That is mental health awareness. “Paige struggled daily with anxiety and depression,” Sorrell said. “There is little support for the other level of pain. Paige found peace at the shop, and the power of crafting.” Lisa was ready to quit, to give it all up, but music brought her back.

After Paige’s death, Sorell was attending a Malpass Brothers show in Branson, MO.

“I felt a peace that day, a pull to go backstage. I am sure their manager wondered who I was. I stood around and finally got to talk to both Chris and Taylor. Their music gave me a reason to live. I told them I wanted to make them a pair of boots, and I actually measured their feet backstage.”

Sorrell made Taylor a pair of Satan is Real boots, with their band logo on the back. And Chris received custom crafted Malpass Brothers footwear. Another positive thing that happened after Paige’s death was when a shoe maker from New Zealand, Flora Knight, contacted Lisa about an apprenticeship. Lisa picked Flora, a talented bluegrass fiddler, up at the airport, and moved Flora in with her and her husband. Flora has since moved into her own place, but still works side by side with Sorrell. There are rules with an apprenticeship, an apprentice never touches the master’s boots, but they are allowed to use Sorrell’s machines and supplies. “Apprentices are always welcomed,” Lisa says, “but just like the boot you must be the perfect fit.”

Being a woman in a male dominated world and craft, Sorrell has established quite a reputation for herself.  She teaches clinics all over the world, holds several titles for her craftsmanship, and in November 2022 was commissioned by the Oklahoma Arts Council to create the first ever State of Oklahoma boots. Each piece of leather is cut, and sewn at one of 5 machines. Each design is hand stenciled, and nothing is computerized. “I can only draw at my bench, or the inspiration doesn’t happen,” shared Lisa. 

Also, in her shop, Lisa sells supplies to other bootmakers/shoe makers. Sorrell stocks 14 models from size 4-13, 4 – EE.  She also sells all leather tools and supplies. Lisa also has the only hardbound book on The Art of Leather Inlay and Overlay, published by Schiffer books.

During the Oklahoma International Bluegrass Festival in 2022, Lisa was disappointed when the Grascals went next door to Byron’s shop, and didn’t stop by her’s. She wasn’t shy about her disappointment, posting it on social media, and the next day, The Grascals dropped in and toured her shop. 

Lisa still has dreams. Her biggest one is to see Russell Moore walk in the front door of her shop.  

During our discussion, we had a slight interruption when the telephone rang (yes, a landline). It was Nancy Cardwell with IBMA Foundation. Sorrell had contacted the foundation to talk about raffling off a pair of custom Satan is Real boots (valued at over $10,000). These custom-made boots will be raffled at the IBMA Foundation’s Strings For Dreams Bluegrass Raffle in the Spring of 2023.

Cardwell explained a bit about the raffle and the Foundation.

“The tickets for the online raffle will go on sale April 1 and end May 12. The live online drawing will be at noon Eastern time at the IBMA Foundation Facebook page on Saturday May 13, 2023.  The other prize this year will be a 1967 D-35 Martin Guitar.

The IBMA is a sister organization of the IBMA Foundation whose roots were planted in 2007. They are two separate entities with separate boards, missions and staff. They have different bluegrass music-related missions. The IBMA Foundation is the philanthropic agency for bluegrass music that supports programs and initiatives that foster the growth of bluegrass music. We are focused on supporting efforts to share bluegrass music with future generations.”

From fabric to leather, Lisa Sorrell embraces bluegrass music and will be giving back. 

You can learn more about Sorrell Custom Boots, and see her portfolio of unique creations, by visiting her web site online.

With the digital age, music, including bluegrass, is being presented in a lot of different types and formats. Jeremiah Gilmer, a young southern Virginia-based graphic designer, works a day job and plays music in his spare time from his home, but reaches a wide audience through YouTube, Facebook, and TikTok videos. What makes it even more intriguing is that he plays all the instruments, and does all the vocals, so he is literally a virtual one-man band!

Gilmer, an only child, shared his background. “I started learning the mandolin first at age nine. My dad played in a band. The mandolin player quit so I thought I could do it.”

The self-taught musician learned to play other instruments: guitar, bass, banjo, and finally, fiddle. He started winning awards such as the Junior Entertainer of the Year from the Virginia Folk Music Association in 2013, and Mandolin and Guitar Player of the Year in 2015 and 2016. Those that have influenced his music include the Dan Tyminski Band, Lonesome River Band, Tony Rice, and Kenny & Amanda Smith.

“I listen to a ton of bluegrass,” Gilmer declared.

In 2013, he began making YouTube music videos.

“I started with just audio. I have no siblings so I recorded all the music by myself.”

With his musicianship and his knowledge of modern day technology, Gilmer easily merged the two. He loves sharing his music, but doesn’t want the life of a traveling musician, so here was his solution. A couple of years ago, the Jeremiah started creating one-man videos: playing all the instruments, recording and editing the audio and video, and posting it on social media.

“It was a way for me to practice and express myself. It is a hobby,” he explained.

Gilmer never expected the attention his videos have received. 

“I released Facebook videos. I was getting good responses so I started doing more videos, and added them to TikTok.” The multi-instrumentalist was amazed at the interest he generated. “I started getting thousands of views. I did this to get better on different instruments and study the original compositions of the music.”

An art director by trade with a degree in graphic design, the technical portion of the visual recordings came easily. “I took classes in video editing. For the music, I lay out the tracks. I start with a click track and the guitar, and then I add bass, mandolin, banjo, vocal, and violin.”

The entire process takes 4-5 hours: 1 ½ hours to record the music, 2 hours of mixing, and 1 hour exporting.

On one of his one man band videos, he plays along with Tony Rice on his iconic recording of Church Street Blues. “(This is) the closest I’ll ever get to playing with Tony. What a huge inspiration to so many of us. I followed the same process, but started with his track rather than a click track.”

His most popular release has been Pikeville Flood with 5000 views on TikTok.

Gilmer has a couple of self-released albums on YouTube. He posted the first in 2017, and then during COVID shutdown, released a second. The musical prodigy has a gospel album coming out this spring. 

“I wrote ten of the thirteen songs,” he confessed.

The project is not just Gilmer’s one-man band.

“I’m co-producing this project with Denver Smith, another young Virginia award-winning bluegrass multi-instrumentalist.”

It includes some impressive musicians. 

“I play 70% of the music on it, but I have lots of guest artists.”

Those special guests include Ron Stewart, Adam Miller, and Grayson Lane (Shawn Lane’s son).

Gilmer’s hobby has taken off, bringing him unexpected attention, and joy.

“I just enjoy putting a smile on people’s faces. I hope that I can shine a light on bluegrass music. Bluegrass musicians are some of the most talented people in the music industry: knowing compositions, playing different instruments, and layering harmonies.”

The talented musician/singer/songwriter is content with his method of entertainment. He enjoys his day job, has no desire for life on the road as a traveling musician, and likes the creative process and expressing himself through his one-man videos. 

Always learning, Gilmer concluded, “I’m currently working full-time and pursuing my Masters of Fine Arts in Design Thinking from Radford University.”

Check out Jeremiah Gilmer’s music on YouTube, TikTok, and Facebook. You can learn more about his profession and his music by visiting his personal website.

Mile Twelve has produced a music video just ahead of the release of their upcoming album, Close Enough To Hear, due later this week. It will be their first recorded effort since bringing new members Ella Jordan on fiddle and Korey Brodsky on mandolin into the group.

In keeping with their norm, the new video, for Take Me As I Am, is a fairly epic song written and sung by guitarist Evan Murphy, with a serious literary theme.

He says this one has a Homeric inspiration.

“There is a scene in the Odyssey when Odysseus washes up on shore, shipwrecked and nearly drowned. A young woman named Nausicaa is washing her clothes when she sees the naked man of twists and turns in dire need of help. As Naussica’s family nurses Odysseus back to health, he develops an affection for her.

I always wondered whether Odysseus started to doubt his voyage at that point, tempted to stay put on that island, imagining a whole alternative life for himself.

This song started out as a jaunty folk rock number that I strummed on guitar with my fellow songwriter Danny Erker, but I started to imagine it with doubletime banjo and a pulsing, anthemic string band groove.

Happily my bandmates were more than up for the challenge. I love how this one turned out.”

Those bandmates, in addition to Ella and Korey, include Evan’s fellow founding members BB Bowness own banjo and Nate Sabat on bass.

Pre-orders and pre-saves for the full Close Enough To Hear album are enabled now online. It will be available from popular download and streaming services on February 3.

Mile Twelve will also be touring in support of the new project starting in March.

The good folks at The Caverns in Grundy, TN, filming site for the popular The Caverns Sessions program on PBS and home of the CaveFest jamgrass event launched last fall, have announced a new festival for the Fourth of July weekend, starting in 2023.

Named the Big Mouth Bluegrass Festival, it will feature top names in traditional and contemporary bluegrass, serving as a counterpoint to the more progressively-oriented CaveFest.

Todd Mayo, owner of The Caverns and Executive Producer of The Caverns Sessions, formerly known as Bluegrass Underground, says that the festival title refers to the cave opening, and not any of the artists booked to appear.

“Big Mouth Bluegrass Festival is a return to the roots of The Caverns, and the festival’s name is a tribute to the historical name of the cave we call home today. We cannot think of a better way to celebrate Fourth of July weekend than with a festival celebrating some of the greatest things about our country—bluegrass music, hot dogs and apple pie, fireworks, camping, pickin’ circles, and family and friends, new and old.”

Music and activities will take place both above ground in The Cavern’s new amphitheater stage, and deep in the earth inside the cave. There will on-site camping and concessions, with food trucks offering cook out fare and Fourth of July favorites, and there are nearby accommodations for those who prefer a hotel stay.

Joe Lurgio, Caverns general manager, says acoustic music has a special appeal within the caves.

“All music sounds naturally great inside the cave, but there is something extra special about hearing the ancient tones of fiddles and banjos underground. And when those same instruments ring out and fill the cove above ground, it’s not lost on us, the artists, and the fans, that this little corner of Grundy County is a magical place to play and listen to this special music.”

Booked to appear July 1-2 this year are The Dan Tyminski Band, Larry Sparks & The Lonesome Ramblers, Michael Cleveland & Flamekeeper, Russell Moore & IIIrd Tyme Out, Lonesome River Band, Appalachian Road Show, Frank Solivan & Dirty Kitchen, The Grascals, Sister Sadie, The Grascals, Missy Raines & Allegheny, Joe Mullins & The Radio Ramblers, The Cleverlys, and several more.

Blake Williams will serve as master of ceremonies, and Becky Buller will be the festival’s artist in residence, appearing on stage with many of the various entertainers over the course of the two days at the Big Mouth Bluegrass Festival.

A number of sites inside the cave will be designated for jamming, and of course, jamming within the campsites is a given.

Two-day tickets with camping are available starting $79.50, with children under five admitted free. Those between the ages of five and twelve can get a “young grasser” ticket at only $40 for both days. A variety of VIP packages are available that include premium campsites, a special viewing location for the stage shows, a VIP lounge tent, and other amenities. There are even packages to stay in The Caverns’ yurt village, or at a hotel in nearby Monteagle, with shuttle transportation to and from.

Other activities will include cave tours, and a fireworks displays both nights.

Full details and ticket information can be found at The Caverns web site.

Steve Bruce, Lead Pastor at Faith Way Assembly Of God in LaFollette, Tennessee, relies on more than faith to make his music potent. Bruce, a banjo player that possesses tremendous skills on his instrument of choice, enlisted two of the best musicians in the entirety of bluegrass to bring his new album to fruition. They include renowned fiddler Glen Duncan, with Ron Stewart on mandolin and fiddle, both of whom are well known in session circles. He also looked for support close to home as well, recruiting his son, Andrew, to help provide the solid rhythms on acoustic guitar and bass, as well as occasional acoustic lead guitar and dobro. 

The result is a series of ten instrumentals that take flight from the first notes forward. The absence of vocals portends the listener’s need to dive deep into each performance in order to differentiate one track from another, given the fact that the players play most of the songs at a frenzied tempo. Still, the skill shown on songs such as By the Brook, Rolling Forward, Facing the Giant, Tune Up, and the title track culminates in a dazzling display of virtuosity that finds fiddle and banjo performing in sync at full throttle. A Work in Progress offers a bit of a respite, but the focus and concentration remains evident and intensive.

As a minister, Bruce says the material, all of which he wrote himself, was inspired by God, although save a handful of clues shared in some of the song titles — specifically, Higher Life and What I Know Now — there’s little indication of specific spirituality. Given the dedication and determination displayed in each of these entries, it’s clear that Bruce and company clearly found an elevated inspiration from on high.

Ultimately, What I Know Now offers an impressive showcase of instrumental acumen. It leaves no doubt that there’s outstanding ability at play throughout these proceedings. One would only hope that Bruce’s next effort might reflect the further variety and versatility needed to make his offerings as distinctive as they are dynamic.

Founding member, Andrew Brown, of the central North Carolina-based Gospel Plowboys, is stepping down after more than a decade with the group. The Mountain Fever recording artists are best known for spreading the gospel through tight harmonies, and touching lyrics, in their distinctive bib overalls, white shirts, and red ties. 

Lead singer and guitarist, Michael Jenkins, said…

“Andrew has been a part of The Gospel Plowboys from the very beginning. I met Andrew about 11 years ago at the Doyle Lawson Bluegrass Festival in Denton. This was just before the Gospel Plowboys were formed. We spent that night with the band’s founder, David Murph, jamming at the campground. Immediately, a friendship was born. Later on, David approached Andrew and myself about forming the Gospel Plowboys and the rest is history. 

Andrew started out in the band by playing the upright bass. After the band’s mandolinist, David Murph, passed in 2017, Andrew took over that role by playing the mandolin. He’s been such a huge asset to the band through the years being a multi-instrumentalist and an awesome vocalist. Losing him is going to be a huge loss, but we know God has a plan for Andrew, and he has a plan for the Gospel Plowboys. We thank Andrew for his many years of hard work and dedication to the band and wish him the very best.”

Andrew Brown responded…

“First, I’d like to say that I’m extremely grateful for the opportunity to have been able to play bass and later, mandolin for the Gospel Plowboys over the past ten years. My dad, David Brown, played bass for David Murph in a band called the Gospel Strings in the early ’90s. He always spoke highly of David and his ability to hear and play music the way he did. As a kid learning to play, I always thought it would be amazing to play music with David Murph one day and that dream did came true for me and so much more!

David always encouraged me to look outside the box, whether that meant learning a new instrument, or singing a new harmony part. But it wasn’t just about the music, he encouraged all of us to seek God and grow in our relationship with Him, and with each other as well. I miss David very much, but his music lives on in all of us that he influenced and invested in.

I’m also so beyond thankful that I’ve been able to share music with my Dad all these years now. This has been one of the hardest parts of making the decision to step away from the band for me. Needless to say, I will miss playing music with these guys very much. There are so many that I would like to be able to thank individually for all of their prayers, support, and hospitality over the years, for not only myself, but for the Plowboys as a whole. You all truly have been instrumental in keeping us going!

I will be stepping away from the band toward the end of April; however, I will not be stepping away from music entirely. I dearly love to sing and make music with my wife, Morgan Brown. She has always been with me through the ups and downs that come with traveling and playing music. I couldn’t have made it this long without her love and support. I am also very excited to be able to do more of that with her now and see what God has for us both in the future, wherever that may take us! For all those I have met and befriended while traveling, I hope to be able to see you all again someday. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.”

Jenkins stressed…

“As for the rest of the Plowboys, we ain’t done yet! We don’t believe God is finished with the Gospel Plowboys. We plan to move forward in the upcoming weeks. We will be looking for someone to step in and fill Andrew’s spot on mandolin. At this point, we’re not sure who that individual will be, but whoever God chooses to send our way will definitely have some big shoes to fill.”

Tonight, at the Sheraton Music City Hotel in Nashville, the winners of the National Bluegrass Awards from the Society for the Preservation of Bluegrass Music of America are being announced during a live gala presentation.

And the winners are:

• Bluegrass Promoter Of The Year – Cody Johnson
• Bluegrass Radio Station Of The Year – Sirius XM 62 
• Bluegrass DJ Of The Year – Kyle Cantrell-Sirius XM 
• Bluegrass Songwriter Of The Year  – Daryl Mosley
• Bluegrass Album Of The Year – Something You Didn’t Count On: Jaelee Roberts for Mountain Home Music
• Bass fiddle Performer Of The Year – Edgar Loudermilk
• Dobro Performer Of The Year – Justin Moses
• Guitar Performer Of The Year – Kody Norris
• Mandolin Performer of the Year – Alan Bibey
• Banjo Performer of the Year – Joe Mullins
• Fiddle Performer of the Year – Mary Rachel Nalley-Norris
• Female Vocalist Of The Year – Jaelee Roberts
• Male Vocalist Of The Year  – Russell Moore
• Gospel Group Of The Year – Balsam Range
• Vocal Group Of The Year – Balsam Range
• Instrumental Group Of The Year – Kody Norris Show
• Bluegrass Band (Overall) Of The Year – The Po’ Ramblin’ Boys 
• Song Of The Year – My My My – Seth Mulder and Midnight Run for Mountain Fever Records
• Entertainer Of The Year – Kody Norris

Congratulations all!

To say the boys from the North did it again with their latest offering, Darkest Hour, would be an understatement. No, this time they bettered their already pure sound to give a gift well worthy of our playlists. Having teamed up with the inimitable Jerry Douglas for production, and a band of skilled performers, including the one-and-only Alison Krauss for vocals on one rich track, the multiple award-winning Gibson Brothers provide a collection of songs that delve into heartache, betrayal, and yearning. Darkest Hour, which releases today, however, is not dark. It is deep — with talent and emotion.

The album hooks you with its upbeat count-in to track one, What a Difference a Day Makes, and takes the listener on a ride to familiar places of the human experience. The Gibson Brothers’ skillful songwriting comes to the fore on this album in every song. They precisely capture the whiplashed feeling of an unexpected breakup on the leadoff track; shades of soul-searching and regret in Heart’s Desire; grappling with duplicity in Your Eyes Say His Name; and parents struggling to let go as children grow in One Minute of You.

Although each offering shines, some glisten more than others. Take for instance, the gem called I Go Driving. With its lines like “I’m looking at the past; I’m trying not to stare,” and its lap steel, fiddle, and electric guitar woven in, it just stops you in your tracks to take in how expertly the Gibson Brothers have encapsulated nostalgia. Another jewel is the title track where Leigh beautifully lays vulnerability on the table for all of us to reckon with. The simplicity of the song, and the soulful accompaniment by Jerry Douglas, no less, keeps this one with us long after its last note. I Feel The Same Way As You catches you swaying to the tune and then catching your breath when Leigh and Alison Krauss bestow their harmonies. 

Let’s not forget that the Gibson Brothers also make you boogie with some honkytonk-esque tracks on Darkest Hour, such as So Long, Mama and Shut Up and Dance, which features the great line: “I ain’t bad lookin’ when the band starts cookin’.”

It is not just the poetry they put on the page, it is their enveloping those words and life moments with perfectly matched melodies that evoke the feelings. And, they execute it all through masterful playing and singing. Leigh’s full-bodied voice and Eric’s high lonesome tenor each stand out powerfully on this album, and when combined, the result is the pure sound that has always defined the Gibson Brothers’ art, but somehow, it sounds even more refined here.

All in all, they provide a winning combination with this effort such that when you take the time to listen to Darkest Hour, we can guarantee it won’t be dark for you. From their already high perch in bright blue bluegrass to their sidestep into groove with their Mockingbird album, Darkest Hour strikes as a solid move into a wonderful place amidst bluegrass, folk, and country — which, perhaps, the Gibson Brothers simply call music.

Iowa’s Lori King & Junction 63 have a new single set to hit next week, the third from their upcoming EP, Straight from the Heartland.

This time it’s one from Becky Buller and Bill Whyte called Mercy of a Train, with a new twist on the leaving song from a female perspective. The singer is trying to get on a fast train out of town before her trouble of a man arrives to stop her. Will she make it? Listen and see.

Lori says that she, and her husband, Joe, who form the nucleus of the band, are excited about this EP, which they hope will help them emerge from a midwestern headliner to the national stage.

“This new album is a wonderful representation of how our music continues to evolve. It features some of our favorite bluegrass singers and musicians, including Darin & Brooke Aldridge, who add an additional layer.

Getting to record at The Shop Studio with Darin producing, playing mandolin, singing harmonies, and Van Atkins engineering, mixed with Sammy Shelor’s amazing drive on the banjo, and Samantha Snyder sawing on the fiddle ,was a dream come true!

Straight from the Heartland pours our Midwestern heart into traditional music with a more contemporary twist and I couldn’t be happier with the result in this new recording.”

Lori is on bass, and Joe guitar, along with their superpicker studio pals. Have a listen…

Mercy of a Train will be available February 3 from popular download and streaming services online. Radio programmers can get the track now via AirPlay Direct.

Unlike the title of the album and the cover photo suggests, Snow White Memories from singer/songwriter Irene Kelley is not a holiday album, but a contemporary bluegrass recording filled with gorgeous original material from start to finish.

The opening track, Wild Mountain Stream, contains lots of symbolic imagery. Irene’s delivery of the song really makes the “cool clear waters rushing to the sea” vivid within the imagination of the listener. As with all of the songs on this project, this track contains a dynamic group of instrumentalists and vocalists. Along with Irene on lead vocals and her daughter Justyna on harmony vocals, this piece also features Aubrey Haynie on fiddle, Matt Menefee on banjo, Adam Steffey on mandolin, Cody Kilby on guitar, and Mike Bub on bass.

Come Some Winter Morning pairs Irene with the Kruger Brothers. Co-written by Kelley, Ronnie Bowman, and Terry Herd, this was an appropriate choice for the collaboration to record. This track also features the Krugers’ longtime bassist, Joel Landsberg, as well as Jody Call on cajon. 

4th of July in My Hometown was one of several standout tracks. Written by Irene and Justyna Kelley along with Steve Cropper, this piece contains warm nostalgic sentiments about simpler, carefree times, as well as a strong sense of patriotism and gratefulness for those that have served our country. Country star Trisha Yearwood provides harmony vocals on this song, and instrumental backing is supplied by Jesse Brock on mandolin, Bronwyn Keith-Hynes on fiddle, Scott Vestal on banjo, Josh Williams on guitar, and Mike Bub on bass.

Another standout is the energetic gospel number, Satan, Get Behind Me, by Irene and Bill Whyte. With Scott Vestal’s banjo in a low D tuning, the song’s melody has a punchiness that matches the lyrics and message of this track perfectly. 

The title track Snow White Memories is very much a family affair. Featuring beautiful vocals from Kelley and her two daughters, Justyna and Sara Jean, this song was also written by Irene and Justyna. It’s one of the most memorable performances on this entire project.

Although Can I Tell You is the only track not written by Irene, she performs it so believably that it sounds like she might have penned it. Co-authored by Phillip Ehart, David Hope, Steve Walsh, and Richard John Williams, this piece has such a solid rhythmic groove. Once again featuring Irene, Justyna, and Sara Jean Kelley on vocals, this track also features some tasteful mandolin playing from Aubrey Haynie.

Snow White Memories is Irene Kelley’s fourth bluegrass-oriented project. It’s a wonderful offering chock full of original material with superb backing talent bringing each of these songs to life.

Michigan-area bluegrass musician Gary Adams passed away on Monday, January 23. He had very recently been diagnosed with an aggressive brain tumour. 

Gary Lee Adams was born Harts Creek (Logan County), West Virginia, on January 1, 1952. He began playing at the age of five. 

When he was 17 his family migrated north to Detroit, Michigan, for work in the auto industry. Gary worked for the Chrysler Corporation for 27 years and decided to retire and build his dream home in Dandridge, Tennessee, in 2004. 

He worked with Wendy Smith & the Windy Mountain Boys starting about 1970. Then, briefly, with Jimmy Martin, before returning to play with Smith, whose band became known as Blue Velvet. Adams played bass, guitar and/or mandolin on their three LPs. 

The Blue Velvet – That Mighty Horse Of Steel 

In October 1981 he joined the Bluegrass Cardinals, staying with them until May 1982 when he returned to his job at Chrysler Corporation, as he had gone to work with them during a layoff and didn’t want to lose his tenure.

Shortly afterwards he started his own signature group, Gary Adams and the Bluegrass Gentlemen, playing the mandolin, with his younger brothers Michael Adams (guitar) and Keith Adams (bass); and their friend Steve Daniels (banjo). He bought himself a 4104 bus and hit the road, but always maintained his day job with Chrysler.

This band was mainly active during the 1980s and 1990s.  

Gary Adams – Goin’ Home 

…from the LP New Freedom Bell 

Reviewer Jon Hartley Fox described Adams as becoming a “forceful, distinctive lead singer,” with his “high and intense” vocals owing “a debt to Jimmy Martin and Bill Monroe” (Bluegrass Unlimited, January 1984). Others who influenced his career were Sonny Osborne and Doyle Lawson. 

Occasionally he filled in, playing bass, for Monroe during the first half of the 1990s.

Gary Adams and the Bluegrass Gentlemen – Going Back To Georgia [1989]

LuAnn Smith met Adams in November 1981 when she was in Dayton, Ohio, and heard Gary belt out the high tenor on The Wicked Path of Sin with the Bluegrass Cardinals….. 

“He literally brought the house down. I guarantee if anyone was lucky enough to hear them do that, they never forgot it. (David and Don Parmley, Norman Wright, Tim Smith). Gary played electric bass with them. 

Gary was the first to record the Wendy Smith song, Carolyn the Teenaged Queen, from where the likes of Dwight McCall and Don Rigsby and the Lonesome River Band learned it, and later performed the song and made it even more famous. 

Gary and his friend Wendy Smith were like the ‘Doyle Lawsons’ of Southeast MIchigan. Every musician around played in their bands at some point. Even the late James Price (former Clinch Mountain Boy) found his way to Michigan to play fiddle for Gary, as well as the late Jimmy Campbell. A very young Brad Campbell played banjo with Gary before going on to work for Quicksilver. Andrea Mullins Roberts of Petticoat Junction and the Andrea Roberts Agency got her start as a Bluegrass Gentlemen when she was a young girl from Indiana. He was a mentor to many.”

Gary Adams and the Bluegrass Gentlemen at the Charlotte Bluegrass Festival in Charlotte, Michigan, June 1990 – Carolyn the Teenage Queen 

Gary Adams (mandolin), Dana Cupp Jr (banjo), Greg Farmer (bass) and John Coffey (guitar)

Brad Campbell joined the Bluegrass Gentlemen in 1986 …. 

“Very sad news today hearing of the passing of a dear friend and music mentor, Gary Adams. I never will forget the excitement and sheer joy of when he called me (16 years old at the time) and asked me to join his awesome band. My parents were reluctant, to be honest. I remember Gary promised my Mom that he would take care of me, and he made good on his promise. 

I’m grateful for this time that we got to spend together traveling and playing music. To a teenage kid, it was an adventure every time we headed out on the bus for a road trip. The bonus was getting to hear some of the best sibling harmony on the daily…. I’m sure you and Michael are wowing the masses as I type this. 

So many people I never would have met, so many experiences and places I never would have had or seen. Some of the most fun and best times playing music that I’ve ever had.

Thank you for being a mentor, teacher, encourager and dear friend to me.  One of a kind.  Until we meet again, rest easy Groovy.”

Campbell added … 

“I remember one time; The Osborne Brothers’ bus broke down (at a festival here in Michigan). Gary loaned them his bus because they had to get back to Nashville (immediately) to play The Opry.”

Gary Adams and the Bluegrass Gentlemen – Heaven On My Mind [1990] 

Andrea (Andi) Mullins Roberts was a member of the Bluegrass Gentlemen from 1984 through to 1985 …… 

Gary Lee Adams, affectionately known as Groovy to his friends, had his Home-going on January 23rd after a hard-fought battle with cancer. Gary was an excellent musician and singer and was passionate about bluegrass music. Gary’s roots were deep in the mountains of West Virginia, but he is well-known for his musical contributions in the Detroit, Michigan, area where he was a constant until moving to Dandridge, Tennessee, after retiring from Chrysler. In addition to performing with Blue Velvet (alongside MI bluegrass stalwart, Wendy Smith) and with his own band Gary Adams & The Bluegrass Gentlemen, Gary did stints with Jimmy Martin & The Sunny Mountain Boys, the

Bluegrass Cardinals, and even filled in playing bass with Bill Monroe & The Blue Grass Boys. Gary was inducted into the Southeast Michigan Bluegrass Music Association’s Hall of Honor in 2020.

Gary was an extremely important person to me, and I hope that he knew the profound effect that he had on my life. I sang with Gary for the first time in a jam session at the Milan Bluegrass Festival in 1984 (I had just graduated high school and turned 18 years old), and I remember it like it was yesterday. We were singing Windy City and when we finished, he introduced me to Pete Goble (co-writer with Bobby Osborne) – that was such a WOW moment for me!

Not long after that, Gary’s brother Michael (an incredible vocalist and guitar player) left the band, and I was invited to do a live audition at the Flat Rock Eagles Club, and was subsequently hired to play guitar and sing tenor with Gary Adams & The Bluegrass Gentlemen. Y’all have no idea what a HUGE deal that was to me!! That was my first professional band and set the course for where I am right this very moment.

Gary made me learn every Jimmy Martin song ever recorded, and instilled in me my intense love for Del McCoury. I rode on a tour bus the first-time being part of the Bluegrass Gentlemen, and he was patient with me while I got through a season of extreme stage fright (throwing up until time to walk on stage). He was a little tough on me at times, but I always knew he was helping me learn.

I eventually went on to play bass and sing tenor with Wendy Smith & Blue Velvet, and then move to Nashville, Tennessee…all directly related to me being a Bluegrass Gentlemen. Gary was a life-long friend and a mentor, and he made awesome biscuits and gravy and loved his family and friends fiercely.

Please keep all of the Adams Family in prayer and especially Gary’s children – Gary Adams Jr., Charlene Roth, and Ricky Adams, as well as all of the friends that loved Gary so much. I feel certain Gary and brother Michael are reunited and their voices can be heard all over Heaven.”

In retirement his hobbies included mandolin repairs and collection with Danny Roberts of The Grascals. 

R.I.P. Gary Adams 

Visitation will take place on Friday, January 27, from 1:00 to 8:00 p.m. at the Allen Park Chapel of The Martenson Family of Funeral Homes in Allen Park, MI.

The funeral service will be held the following day on Saturday, January 28, 2023, at 10:00 am at the funeral home. Interment will follow at Michigan Memorial Park Cemetery in Flat Rock, MI. 

A Discography 

Gary Adams and the Bluegrass Gentlemen

• New Freedom Bell ‎(Old Homestead OHS-80055, 1983) (re-issued on Old Homestead CD OHCD 80055, 1983) 
• Going Back To Georgia ‎(Great Lakes Records GLR-001, 1986) (re-issued on Old Homestead OHS 90190, 1989)
• Heaven On My Mind ‎(Old Homestead OHS-70084, 1990)

Blue Velvet

• 1st Edition (Old Homestead OHCS 90070, 1977)
• That Mighty Horse Of Steel (Old Homestead OHS 90078, 1977)
• That Great Bluegrass Show (Old Homestead OHS 70035, April 1981)

Donna Ulisse at Farmers Branch Historical Park – photo by Nate Dalzell

Billy Blue Records has a new single for Donna Ulisse this week, a feel-good song about falling in love called I’m Fallin’. It’s a sentiment most of us are fortunate enough to remember, if we aren’t going through it right now, and Ulisse expresses it with all the wonder and amazement the feeling brings with it.

Donna tells us that this one has been in her back pocket for some time.

“I wrote I’m Fallin’ at least 22 years ago, and have always wanted the opportunity to record it. Having Jerry Salley at the controls, producing and singing on it with a tandem vision was perfect harmony. We were both excited with the result!

I remember the day we gathered at our Nashville Publishing office on Music Row to collaborate on this idea. ‘I’m over the moon, under your spell, blue oceans deep, walkin’ on air, high as a kite, floating above the clouds, I’m fallin”… It is pure and simply the story of me and my darling, Rick. Those are the sentiments I felt when I met him and still feel to this day. I’m fallin’ for this guy all time and I’m not ashamed to sing about it.”

Salley, who also handles A&R for Billy Blue, says he was an instant believer on this song.

“The first time Donna played me I’m Fallin’, I was sold! I thought it sounded just like a ‘classic Donna song,’ very radio friendly, and a must for this new record.

Donna and I have become very good friends over the years; writing together, singing together, teaching together. We are practically family, so the opportunity to produce this track on her upcoming Billy Blue Records project seems like an extension of all the creativity we have shared.

Once you hear her beautiful voice on this song, I bet you’ll be ‘Fallin” too!!”

Support on the track comes from Greg Davis on banjo, Jake Stargel on guitar, Jason Barie on fiddle, Nate Burie on mandolin, Jeff Partin on reso-guitar, and Evan Winsor on bass.

It really is a catchy song. Have a listen…

I’m Fallin’ from Donna Ulisse will be available tomorrow, January 27, from popular download and streaming services online. Ditto for radio programmers at AirPlay Direct.

Banjo player Philip Henning and guitarist Anton Andersson have been making music together for more than a decade, but their musical journey has taken some unusual turns along the way. The two musicians now play together in a Swedish bluegrass band called Kings Cross Stringband, but they actually began their partnership playing metal heavy and making hardcore music before transitioning to Americana, and subsequently to bluegrass.

“Eventually Anton’s girlfriend Emelia Eklund joined us on bass,” Henning says. “After playing gigs for awhile, we also got a hold of ‘Mr. Bluegrass lover,’ Johannes Broborn on mandolin.”

These days, their music maintains their affinity for bluegrass, but it also allows room for other influences as well. “Our sound is leaning mostly towards traditional bluegrass, with a happy, punk attitude,” Henning explains. “But we also love Irish music, so that can also come into play. We sometimes steal a few songs from some of the Irish bands, which we deem to be quite similar to bluegrass in many ways. We play folkish music that’s a fit for both pubs and larger stages, so I believe that the awareness of the bluegrass we perform will continue to grow.”

Henning also says that while they play predominantly covers — a mix of older traditional songs, classic bluegrass — they also venture well beyond. “We perform songs that fall not far from bluegrass, but there are also some that are quite far from that genre as well, like Swedish or Irish folk songs and others of that nature. We also write some of our own songs, and we aim to do more of that in the future.”

In addition, Henning said their influences could be considered both classic and contemporary. He cites the Carter Family, Ricky Skaggs, Tim O’Brien, and Billy Strings as chief among them, but also notes, “We do love old time folk songs, but we also like music that’s new and experimental.”

The band’s debut album, Jack Of Diamonds, can be heard in most streaming platforms. A second album is being prepared for release in 2023.

At this point, Kings Cross Stringband continue to gain new followers and create a fanbase, but Henning hopes they’ll find new opportunities to build even greater awareness in the near future. “We haven’t been on any tours or playing any major festivals yet, but it seems our reputation is growing fast,” he muses. “Plus, we’ve been invited to play at Sweden’s biggest bluegrass festival in Grenna. Just this past weekend we played a smaller folk music festival in our hometown of Örebro, and we’re always surprised at the amazing response we get.”

On the other hand, Henning says he’s not all that surprised that audiences react the way they do. “I think that people are starting to realize that bluegrass can be so much more than just ‘fun gimmick music,’” he says. “The fun and gimmicky thing about it seems to have made people a bit ashamed for it, but hopefully that was a phase that has now passed.”

That said, he has definite thoughts about what brings bluegrass such popular appeal. “It’s about the fun and experimentation,” he said. “The live and jammy world of bluegrass invites everyone to play along, whether you know only three chords, or you can do the amazing solos that inspired us originally. Those will continue to be the things that bring people to bluegrass.”

WPAQ radio in Mt Airy, NC is celebrating 75 years on the air, broadcasting old time, roots, gospel, and bluegrass music in north central North Carolina, with a free concert on February 4 at the Earle Theatre in downtown Mount Airy.

The station first went on the air in February of 1948, after founder Ralph Epperson realized his long held desire to bring the traditional mountain music of the Blue Ridge to a wider audience. As a boy, Ralph ordered a banjo from a mail order catalog to get involved in the music first hand, but ended up returning it for a radio kit. Dreams of the radio business filled the young man’s mind, which after overcoming some initial resistance from his parents, was funded by a mortgage on the family farm.

Ralph’s dream has a resulted in a powerful 10,000 watt AM station that is still held in the family. His son Kelly manages the station to this day.

Now broadcasting as well at 106.7 FM and online at wpaq740.com, WPAQ offers a 24 hour signal with old time string band, bluegrass, and gospel music, as well as local, regional, plus national news and community events programming.

And they hold to the commitment the founder made in 1948 that the programming on the station would always be suitable for the entire family.

The 75th Anniversary Celebration on February 4 will begin at 4:00 p.m. with a screening of Broadcast: A Man and His Dream, a documentary about Epperson and WPAQ produced by Jordan Nance, starting at 4:30. Music begins at 5:45 with performances from Travis Frye & Blue Mountain, The Country Boys, The Slate Mountain Ramblers, The Nunn Brothers, and Harrison Ridge. 

The Earl Theatre is also the site of the station’s Merry Go Round, the second longest running live weekly musical radio program in the US.

All are invited to attend the show on the 4th, and there is no admission fee.

The IBMA Foundation has asked us to remind everyone that the deadline for applying for the 2023 Arnold Shultz Fund grants is January 31. These grants are designed to support activities that increase participation in bluegrass music by people of color.

People of color are defined by the Foundation as those with a racial/ethnic background that is underrepresented in bluegrass, i.e.:

Black, Asian, Hispanic/Latino, Indigenous First People, Indigenous Pacific Islander, etc. Applicants may be individuals, schools, groups, organizations, or government entities. Priority will be given to programs, activities, or individuals that demonstrate a commitment to inclusivity and serving diverse, underrepresented populations in bluegrass music.

Shultz is an important person in bluegrass lore. A blues musician who lived in western Kentucky, he taught Bill Monroe about the blues when the future Father of Bluegrass was still a young man. In fact, he gave Monroe his first paying gig while he was still a teen.

Nancy Cardwell, Executive Director of the IBMA Foundation, which serves as the non-profit philanthropic and education arm of the organization, tells us that while many awards from the Arnold Shultz Fund are to organizations, they are also available to individual students, artists, or teachers.

“Applications can be made to help an individual person of color, for a bluegrass-related program or event that benefits people of color, or for a college scholarship (for a person of color studying a bluegrass-related topic).”

The Foundation put together this video to explain a bit more about the importance of this effort to encourage people from outside the typical bluegrass demographic to get involved.

More information on the Arnold Shultz Fund grants can be found online, as well as an application form.

While back home in Australia to be inducted into the Hands of Fame in Tamworth, NSW, Aussie songbird Kristy Cox also took home a Golden Guitar trophy at the Country Music Association of Australia awards.

This was her sixth Golden Guitar, awarded for Bluegrass Recording of the Year, for the song Good Morning Moon, written by Jerry Salley and Laura Leigh Jones. It had appeared on her Shades of Blue album in 2022.

After the awards show on Saturday, Kristy was overjoyed with the win, as she had just performed the song live on stage.

“Today has been one to remember. Getting inducted into the Hands of Fame in the morning was a dream come true. To follow it up that night with a CMAA award for Bluegrass Recording of the Year is the icing on the cake. I can’t thank everyone enough for all of their support.”

Jerry Salley, who not only co-wrote Good Morning Moon, he also produced for Billy Blue Records, for whom he serves as A&R Director, offered his congratulations from Nashville.

“Kristy is SOOOOOOO talented and the hardest working girl in show business. We are so proud of her and her well-deserved accomplishments!”

Let us add our congratulations. Well done, Kristy!

Rebel Records has released another single from their upcoming album with Starlett & Big John, their first with the label. It’s the title track from the project, Living in the South, set for release February 24.

An easygoing ballad, Living in the South paints a picture of the simple life many people still lead in rural areas and small towns. Big John Talley shared that the inspiration for the song was a discussion between he and Starlett as they were writing material for this next recording.

“We were at my studio in Southhampton, Virginia, and I told Starlett about my love for my hometown and wanting to write a song that showed the beauty of how I was raised. Summers spent swimming in the Nottoway River with my friends, growing up on a cotton farm, and the historic figures from the area as well my parents were all big influences on the song and my history.”

Starlett Boswell said that they included reflections from her raising as well.

“The last verse is heartfelt for us and I’m sure a lot of folks who listen to the song can relate. Things on Sunday come to a stand still and it’s time for the Lord and Family. As far back as I can remember, we always went to my daddy’s parents on Sunday and gathered under the pecan tree. As time has moved on, now we go back to my parents’ home and the tradition continues.”

The stark arrangement perfectly supports the earnest lyrics, with guitar and mandolin rhythm on the verses, and full band on the choruses. Big John is on guitar, and Jonathan Dillon on mandolin, with fiddle and reso-guitar from producer Ron Stewart.

Have a listen…

The single for Living in the South is available now from popular download and streaming services online, and pre-orders/pre-saves for the full album are enabled now as well.

“I like the rules. I think you know how I feel about that.” – Fake Santa in Santa Clause 2

In the 1970s, once bluegrass music had evolved into its own genre, with its own festival circuit, its own record labels, and its own publications, a set of rules became established to help us differentiate bluegrass music from other genres, especially other forms of country music. These rules mainly involved what kind of instruments the music could and couldn’t have, because those were rules easiest to articulate and understand (and if necessary, enforce). Rules about how those instruments could be played, or what singing style was or wasn’t appropriate to the music were a little more of a murky area. To this day we love to argue about these things (and when I say “we,” I really mean “people with too much time on their hands”).

Take the argument about drums in bluegrass, for example; the view that many hold today is that drums don’t belong in bluegrass music under any circumstances: “There are no drums in bluegrass.” It’s an easy enough rule to draw up, since Bill Monroe didn’t use them in 1946-47 with Lester and Earl, etc. Neither did the first generation of bands that followed, at least not for a while. What prompts debate about this is the fact that almost every first generation bluegrass act did use drums just a few years later, some, like Jimmy Martin, throughout most of their careers. Apparently no one briefed them on this rule, probably because there weren’t rules like this in 1958. To complicate matters, Bill Monroe himself used drums on a lot of his recordings throughout the 1950s, but this is disputed, too, by those who say that it doesn’t count because the drum was played by the bass player, Ernie Newton, who had it mounted on his bass. To me—not to take sides here or anything—that’s a little like saying Doc Watson wasn’t playing harmonica on his recordings because he was also playing the guitar and the harmonica was hanging on his neck.

These are the kinds of arguments these bluegrass rules generate, and we spend valuable time debating them, time that could be better spent solving the problem of global terrorism, helping to feed hungry children, or doing our own truss rod adjustments. 

I would prefer not to open or reopen any of these discussions (ever), but for those who love rules, I present a partial list of some new bluegrass music rules that I hope are much more cut and dried. It’s my hope that these aren’t the kinds of rules that lead to more debates like whether the dobro is really a bluegrass instrument, or whether or not Bill Monroe could have started bluegrass music without the banjo. 

Bluegrass Rules:

• Every slow song performed by a bluegrass band must be preceded by the statement, “we’re going to slow things down just a little.”
• Unless you’re Doyle Lawson and Quicksilver, no matter how simple your band name is, a festival MC will always be capable of messing it up in your introduction.
• Related rule: No matter what your band name is, it will always be abbreviated to the first name of the band leader plus “and them,” e.g. “Doyle and them,” “Russell and them,” “Rhonda and them,” etc.
• Every bluegrass musician and fan of bluegrass believes that he or she can imitate Bill Monroe talking.
• In modern bluegrass songwriting, “Grandpa” is the new “Mother.”
• There are fewer than five appropriate bluegrass songs for a wedding, and most bands hired to play weddings do 12 to 25 songs.
• The first question at any songwriting workshop will always be “which do you write first, the music or the lyrics.” The question is never really answered.
• If you still have cell service, you haven’t yet arrived at the festival.
• Will the Circle Be Unbroken must finish every finale/encore/jam session on stage. Only the first two verses may be sung. Repeat if necessary (and it will be necessary). Exception to rule: if Sam Bush is present, the finale must be a song by The Band.
• Every traditional bluegrass festival must feature at least one band wearing dark suits in 98 degree weather.
• Every progressive, mixed-genre festival must feature at least one band performing barefoot.
• Bluegrass music will always be the last genre of music to completely accept a new music format, like the CD, or the digital download. As evidence, the phrase “long play album” was still being used in stage patter as recently as 2015.
• No matter how famous a bluegrass artist you may be, when you meet a stranger who finds out that you’re a professional musician, and they ask, “would I have heard of you?” the correct answer is always “no.”
• The larger the jam session, the louder everyone plays.
• There’s nothing quite as beautiful as a small 5:00 am jam session under a tree at a bluegrass festival (unless you’re the one in the tent nearby trying to sleep).

It is my hope that these are all identifying principles of our music today we can all agree on, but if not, feel free to debate them in comments below. I won’t participate.

The Kody Norris Show is starting off 2023 with a new single, I Call Her Sunshine, and an accompanying music video, from Rebel Records.

If you recognize a different sound on this track, it’s because banjo man Josiah Tyree is out front singing lead on the one. Kody’s still right there on guitar, with his wife, Mary Rachel Nalley-Norris, on fiddle, and Charlie Lowman on bass, but this is Josiah’s time to shine.

Tyree says that he’s psyched that this is their latest single.

“Kody and I had tossed around the idea of me singing on a song or two for the new album. I was grateful, nervous, and excited when Kody approached me about taking the lead on I Call Her Sunshine. With Mary Rachel singing tenor and Kody singing baritone, it created a fresh blend and some new chemistry. I never dreamed it would become one of the singles selected from our new album.”

Also heard on the single are producer Darin Aldridge on mandolin, and Tony Creasman on percussion.

Norris shared a bit about how they found this charming old song…

“When looking for new material to record, you never know where you might find it. A good friend of mine, the late John Buckwheat Greene, brought I Call Her Sunshine to my attention as he thought it would suit the sound of my band. He was on the original recording of this with the Laurel Mountain Boys back in the ’70s.

Seconds into the kickoff I was hooked, and knew right away that Josiah’s powerful high lead would certainly suit this number, so we reassembled our trio putting Mary Rachel on tenor and yours truly on baritone. We had a blast recording this one and sure hope it’ll be enjoyed by all who hear it.”

Have a look see and listen…

I Call Her Sunshine is available now from popular download and streaming services online.

Kody and the Show will be at SPBGMA this Friday in Nashville. Check his web site for more 2023 tour dates.

The Bluegrass Music Endeavors Foundation, a charitable organization managed by bluegrass touring group, Crandall Creek, is now accepting applications for their Steve Gulley Memorial Scholarship.

Named in honor of the late singer, songwriter, and bandleader, Steve Gulley, who died from cancer in 2020, the $5,000 scholarship will be awarded to a college student who best represents the future of bluegrass music.

Applications will be accepted through May 15, with an announcement of the recipient on August 8 when Crandall Creek performs at Nashville’s Station Inn. Tim Stafford, a long time friend and musical collaborator with Gulley, will be on hand to make the announcement.

Stafford tells us that this award is a fine tribute to Steve, who made his mark in bluegrass with Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver and Mountain Heart after launching a music career at Renfro Valley in Kentucky.

“Steve Gulley was one of the best men I ever knew, and it was a true privilege to be able to write and record with him. I’m proud of what we wrote and produced, and I know Steve was too.

He left us was too soon, but this scholarship is the best way he could possibly be honored.”

The Steve Gulley Memorial Scholarship was founded by Crandall Creek, who fund the Bluegrass Music Endeavors Foundation by setting aside a portion of all their performance fees and album sales for charitable purposes.

Applications can be downloaded online, or one can be requested by email. In addition to basic biographical and contact information, it asks for at two least video links of the applicant playing and/or singing, either solo, with an accompanist, or in a band setting.

Completed applications can then be submitted by email.

Even now, two and a half years later, Gulley’s loss is still deeply felt in the bluegrass community. He died at only 57 years of age from an extremely aggressive cancer that took him swiftly. He had been involved with playing and singing bluegrass and traditional country music all his life, inspired by his own father who had been a part of The Pinnacle Mountain Boys. In his dad’s honor, Steve named his own touring group New Pinnacle.

In addition to acts mentioned above, he was also a member of Grasstowne for several years, along with his dear friend Phil Leadbetter, who died about a year later at 59, and Alan Bibey.

Hats off to Crandall Creek for keeping Steve’s memory alive in this way.

Nickel Creek, the powerhouse trio that brought bluegrass-infused acoustic pop music to the forefront of the culture – and made Chris Thile a household name – has come together again for a new album and a worldwide tour.

The album, Celebrants, is slated for release on March 24. It features the original primary members, Thile on mandolin, Sean Watkins on guitar, and Sara Watkins on fiddle, supported by Mike Elizondo on bass.

A debut single, Strangers, is available, and a live performance video of the song is released today.

Nickel Creek is currently touring in the UK, and will launch a US tour in April with three nights at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, all of which are already sold old.

Pre-orders are available now for Celebrants, which boasts 18 new tracks from the groundbreaking group. They will even have a limited number of LPs in iridescent yellow vinyl, sold as a double album set.

Find more details, along with info on the US tour in 2023, at the Nickel Creek web site.

Mountain Fever Records has release a debut single today from their upcoming project with banjoist Cory Walker. The album is entitled School Project, which those who known Cory from his active social media presence will recognize as a common theme, especially on Facebook.

A Florida native who been playing since his pre-teen years, Cory lives in Nashville these days, where he plays with East Nash Grass, and with David Grier. He is also an active studio musician, appearing on recordings by a number of bluegrass artists.

Cory grew up around bluegrass with a father who played actively. Both he and his brother became quite skilled as teens, with both now pursuing the music professionally. This first single is one that his brother co-wrote, who plays mandolin with Billy Strings.

Walker explains…

“My brother, Jarrod, and mutual good friend, Christian Ward, are truly some of the greatest writers today. When I first heard a demo recording of Far Away Again, I knew I wanted to ask Tim O’Brien to sing it on my record. Tim said he dug it. Soon afterward, we recorded it at Stargel Studios. Musicians on the track include Tim O’Brien on vocals and guitar, Dennis Crouch on bass, Harry Clark on mandolin, Billy Contreras on fiddle, Gaven Largent on resonator guitar, and myself on banjo.”

Jarrod and Christian were the writers of the 2022 IBMA Song of the Year, Red Daisy, recorded by Billy Strings.

Have a listen to Far Away Again…

Far Away Again from Cory Walker is available now from popular download and streaming services online. Radio programmers will find the track at AirPlay Direct.

Expect more information on School Project in the coming months.

The popular Bluegrass Camp Germany, held annually in the lovely Alpine region of Bavaria, has been canceled for 2023, owing to their long time facility reinstating COVID restrictions for this spring.

Hosted and organized by Rudiger Helbig and Michael Pugh, the event draws pickers from all over Europe each May for a chance to study with top instructors on the various bluegrass instruments, plus singing, songwriting, and stage presence.

Michael tells us that a change of management at their host facility is at the root of this year’s cancellation.

Achatswies, our beautiful location, is/was a Bavarian State run facility, and as such, subject to their policies and conditions with regard to social distancing, and a limited number of attendees. The previous caretakers of the facility were a lovely husband/wife team that were from the local village of Fischbacha. They, and their entire staff, loved our camp since they normally host only Bavarian teaching groups and sport clubs.

Well, they went into retirement in 2020, and coincidentally, the pandemic hit at the same time. A new administrator was brought in and apparently the majority of the staff, many of whom were also locals, were not overly pleased with the heavy handed style of management, thus many never returned after the restrictions were lifted. So staffing was issue one.

Secondly, she also restricted our number of attendees to less than 50, roughly half of our normal size of 100+. Then, as a final nail in the coffin, she simply was unwilling to work with us on any of the conditions/restrictions. It became clear to us that the negotiations were going nowhere fast.

Now, we must search for a new location for the 2024 camp. To say we are disappointed is an understatement. But hey, we will come back stronger in the future.”

Dates and location for the 2024 Bluegrass Camp Germany will be announced in the coming months.

Gary Oelze, founder and operator of The Birchmere in northern Virginia, has died at 80 years of age.

Initially a restaurant in the Shirlington neighborhood of Arlington, Gary added music in the evenings when he became the manager in 1966, fresh out of the military. Bluegrass was quite popular in the DC area at that time, and the club made much of his early reputation with bluegrass.

Oelze was a musician as well, and played guitar in the first band that ever performed at The Birchmere.

The club moved twice over its tenure, from Shirlington to a spot on Mt. Vernon Avenue when the original location was set to be torn down, and then to another a couple of blocks away on Mt Vernon in 1997, where it is now situated, to allow for more attendees at shows.

While The Birchmere was never an exclusively bluegrass venue, it was always a major part of their offerings, and became a regular home to The Seldom Scene, from their early days on to the present. Their regular Thursday night shows ran for 20 years, bringing in a mix of locals and tourists week after week.

From the start, Gary insisted that the performers be treated with dignity and respect, and both he and the staff would respectfully ask patrons to please keep conversation to a minimum while artists were on stage. It became an extremely popular listening room for discriminating music lovers in the capitol region, as he insisted that whoever was booked at the club was of the highest caliber.

In the earliest days, Gary did it all: ran the sound, announced the acts, booked the bands, and held court behind the bar.

He wrote a book in 2021 with Stephen Moore, All Roads Lead To The Birchmere – America’s Legendary Music Hall, that tells the full story of the evolution of this institution. Gary was also interviewed last year for the Bluegrass Stories podcast, which can be heard online.

Gary always gave a lot of the credit for the wide variety of entertainment to Michael Jaworek, who helped with booking.

In the intervening 56 years, most every bluegrass, folk, acoustic, or alt-folk artist of note has played The Birchmere. In more recent years, nearly every type of music has been heard there, including country, rock, and jazz. Everyone who ever played there recognized Gary Oelze as an advocate for the musicians.

No information has been released about his cause of death, nor about funeral arrangements.

R.I.P., Gary Oelze.