Richmond, CA -- Jazz & Bluegrass: The Rosenthals, Father-Son Duo, Collaborate on the Forthcoming CD Fly Away. While bluegrass and jazz are often cast as cultural opposites, Phil and Daniel Rosenthal have uncovered fertile common ground melding these two quintessential American styles on Fly Away, a gracefully captivating album by a singular musical clan. The CD, on Phil's American Melody Records, will be released on June 4.
Nashville, TN -- George Jones’ funeral will take place on Thursday, May 2nd at The Grand Ole Opry House in Nashville, Tennessee, starting at 10 am and will be open to the public. "George would have wanted his fans and friends everywhere to be able to come and pay their respects along with his family," said publicist Kirt Webster. Country Music Hall of Famer, Grand Ole Opry member, and Kennedy Center Honoree George Glenn Jones died Friday, April 26, 2013 at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville.
Wilkesboro, NC -- MerleFest, presented by Lowe’s, has come to a close for another year. Early estimates show that, from its start on Thursday, April 25, to its close on Sunday, April 28, aggregate participation over the festival’s four days exceeded 76,000 participants, staying level with last year’s numbers. MerleFest, held on the campus of Wilkes Community College, has become the primary fundraiser for the WCC Endowment Corporation, funding scholarships, capital projects and other educational needs.
JP Mathes has been performing at the Carter Fold since he was 16 years old - first as a member of the ETSU Bluegrass Band and later as the Ensembles Director of Hazard Community College’s Kentucky School of Bluegrass & Traditional Music (KSBTM). The student performers include Caleb Edwards (mandolin) from Indiana; Bobby Earl Whitaker III (guitar) from Jackson, Kentucky; and James Colwell (bass) from Hazard Kentucky. Special guest performers will include Dean Osborne, two-time Grammy award winner, Curtis “Dr. Dobro” Burch, and on fiddle Leona Tokutake Mathes from Tokyo, Japan. Saturday, May 4th, 2013, at 7:30 p.m., the Carter Family Fold in Hiltons, Virginia, will present a concert of bluegrass music by J.P. Mathes and the Kentucky School of Bluegrass Ensemble. Admission to the concert is $8 for adults, $1 for children 6 to 11, under age 6 free.
Wilkesboro, NC -- One of the annual highlights of MerleFest is the Chris Austin Songwriting Contest (CASC). Finalists were selected earlier for this year's annual Chris Austin Songwriting Contest, hosted by MerleFest 2013. Now in its 21st year, the contest is an extraordinary opportunity for aspiring writers to have their original songs heard and judged by a panel of music industry professionals, under the direction of this year’s volunteer contest chairperson, Grammy®-winning singer/songwriter Jim Lauderdale. MerleFest 2013 took place April 25 through 28 on the campus of Wilkes Community College in Wilkesboro, North Carolina. This year, John Cloyd Miller captured the first place prize in the Bluegrass category in the annual Chris Austin Songwriting Contest.
published by Bob Cherry on Sun, 04/28/2013 - 01:07
April 20th was National Record Store Day and it got me to thinking "What happened?" In the '70s, '80s and part of the '90s, I joined the ranks of many others who regularly searched through isle after isle of bins full of treasures in search of a new gem to add to the collections of jewels that played upon turntable and stereo systems across the nation. My friends would do the same thing hundred of miles away but, we'd share what we found in regular phone calls and we would each soon own the coveted album. I would follow a particular artist, musician or even label to see what else they were doing that interested me. I have no idea how many albums I purchased that I had never even heard of prior to finding a name on a liner that indicated something good was about to fill my room with musical treasure. I rarely got burned. It was fun and was really the original music social network. Many long lasting friendships were built around the music and the discovery of new pieces of acoustic art.
The Spinney Brothers will be the special guest of WAMU's Bluegrass Country when they visit with radio programmer Lee Michael Demsey on Tuesday, April 30th for an "Official Debut" of No Borders, the band's brand new CD on Mountain Fever Records. In addition to playing a few cuts from the CD, The Spinney Brothers will also perform some of their new songs live. The show begins at 11:00am ET and listners can tunein worldwide at www.BluegrassCountry.org, locally within the DC area via 105.5 FM in Washington, DC, on 93.5 FM in Frederick and Hagerstown, MD or through the station's iPhone application.
Nashville, TN -- The Americana Music Association announced today plans to produce “Cross County Lines,” a one day festival/celebration of Roots inspired music to take place in Middle Tennessee during the early summer of 2014. A kickoff event has been planned, hosted by Alison Krauss and Jerry Douglas, to raise awareness and funds to support the not for profit music association’s mission and will take place Saturday June 1, 2013 at Liberty Hall at The Factory in Franklin, Tennessee.
Nashville, TN -- Music City Roots and Compass Records Group have announced the release of four compilation albums now available for purchase through iTunes, Amazon, and other key digital music retailers. Each themed album features live performances carefully chosen from the popular radio show’s archives, which tapes and broadcasts in front of a live audience every Wednesday night at the Loveless Barn on the edge of Music City.
Nashville, TN -- Country Music Hall of Famer, Grand Ole Opry member, and Kennedy Center Honoree George Glenn Jones died Friday, April 26, 2013 at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, Tennessee. He was hospitalized April 18 with fever and irregular blood pressure.
Darrell Webb hired David Carroll as the new banjo player for the Darrell Webb Band. Born and raised in Bath County,VA David now lives in Bedford, VA with his wife and daughter. David played banjo for the Deer Creek Boys a local band from Amherst County, VA. David has appeared on stage with a number of national artists "I am really excited and looking forward to being a part of such an awesome band" Said Carroll.
Little King Records is proud to announce the release of Arthel's Guitar by Jack Lawrence. Jack is joined by a stellar cast of bluegrass and acoustic musicians including Wayne Benson on mandolin, Shad Cobb and Don Lewis on fiddle, Curtis Burch on Dobro, Steve Lewis on banjo and Ron Shuffler on bass.Now available at www.airplaydirect.com/jacklawrence
In their first release as a group, Shannon and Heather Slaughter & County Clare showcase their special combination of talent that puts them in the rare company of truly cutting edge contemporary bluegrass. One More Road features Shannon and Heather’s masterful singing, arranging, and writing abilities; and is augmented by the powerful instrumental abilities of the entire band. Joining Shannon and Heather on this recording are Ron Inscore – mandolin, Casey Murray –banjo, and John Boulware – fiddle, as well as several other guests.
Nashville, TN -- Hit songwriter Tom Douglas will be honored at the Country Music Hall of Fame® and Museum on Saturday, May 18, as the latest subject of the quarterly programming series Poets and Prophets: Legendary Country Songwriters. The 1:30 p.m. in-depth interview and performance, held in the museum's Ford Theater, is included with museum admission and free to museum members. The program will be streamed live at countrymusichalloffame.org.
Nashville, TN -- Award-winning Bluegrass duo The Roys go full throttle with the debut single and title track from their June 4 CD, Gypsy Runaway Train. The tune describes life on the road for a touring musician and is available to radio today. Programmers can catch the "Gypsy Runaway Train" via AirPlayDirect and Soundcloud.
Richmond, CA -- Jazz & Bluegrass: The Rosenthals, Father-Son Duo, Collaborate on the Forthcoming CD Fly Away. While bluegrass and jazz are often cast as cultural opposites, Phil and Daniel Rosenthal have uncovered fertile common ground melding these two quintessential American styles on Fly Away, a gracefully captivating album by a singular musical clan. The CD, on Phil's American Melody Records, will be released on June 4.
Nashville, TN -- George Jones’ funeral will take place on Thursday, May 2nd at The Grand Ole Opry House in Nashville, Tennessee, starting at 10 am and will be open to the public. "George would have wanted his fans and friends everywhere to be able to come and pay their respects along with his family," said publicist Kirt Webster. Country Music Hall of Famer, Grand Ole Opry member, and Kennedy Center Honoree 
Wilkesboro, NC -- MerleFest, presented by Lowe’s, has come to a close for another year. Early estimates show that, from its start on Thursday, April 25, to its close on Sunday, April 28, aggregate participation over the festival’s four days exceeded 76,000 participants, staying level with last year’s numbers. MerleFest, held on the campus of Wilkes Community College, has become the primary fundraiser for the WCC Endowment Corporation, funding scholarships, capital projects and other educational needs.
JP Mathes has been performing at the Carter Fold since he was 16 years old - first as a member of the ETSU Bluegrass Band and later as the Ensembles Director of Hazard Community College’s Kentucky School of Bluegrass & Traditional Music (KSBTM). The student performers include Caleb Edwards (mandolin) from Indiana; Bobby Earl Whitaker III (guitar) from Jackson, Kentucky; and James Colwell (bass) from Hazard Kentucky. Special guest performers will include Dean Osborne, two-time Grammy award winner, Curtis “Dr. Dobro” Burch, and on fiddle Leona Tokutake Mathes from Tokyo, Japan. Saturday, May 4th, 2013, at 7:30 p.m., the Carter Family Fold in Hiltons, Virginia, will present a concert of bluegrass music by J.P. Mathes and the Kentucky School of Bluegrass Ensemble. Admission to the concert is $8 for adults, $1 for children 6 to 11, under age 6 free.
Wilkesboro, NC -- One of the annual highlights of MerleFest is the Chris Austin Songwriting Contest (CASC). Finalists were selected earlier for this year's annual Chris Austin Songwriting Contest, hosted by MerleFest 2013. Now in its 21st year, the contest is an extraordinary opportunity for aspiring writers to have their original songs heard and judged by a panel of music industry professionals, under the direction of this year’s volunteer contest chairperson, Grammy®-winning singer/songwriter Jim Lauderdale. MerleFest 2013 took place April 25 through 28 on the campus of Wilkes Community College in Wilkesboro, North Carolina. This year, John Cloyd Miller captured the first place prize in the Bluegrass category in the annual Chris Austin Songwriting Contest.
April 20th was National Record Store Day and it got me to thinking "What happened?" In the '70s, '80s and part of the '90s, I joined the ranks of many others who regularly searched through isle after isle of bins full of treasures in search of a new gem to add to the collections of jewels that played upon turntable and stereo systems across the nation. My friends would do the same thing hundred of miles away but, we'd share what we found in regular phone calls and we would each soon own the coveted album. I would follow a particular artist, musician or even label to see what else they were doing that interested me. I have no idea how many albums I purchased that I had never even heard of prior to finding a name on a liner that indicated something good was about to fill my room with musical treasure. I rarely got burned. It was fun and was really the original music social network. Many long lasting friendships were built around the music and the discovery of new pieces of acoustic art.
The Spinney Brothers will be the special guest of WAMU's Bluegrass Country when they visit with radio programmer Lee Michael Demsey on Tuesday, April 30th for an "Official Debut" of No Borders, the band's brand new CD on Mountain Fever Records. In addition to playing a few cuts from the CD, The Spinney Brothers will also perform some of their new songs live. The show begins at 11:00am ET and listners can tunein worldwide at 
Nashville, TN -- The Americana Music Association announced today plans to produce “Cross County Lines,” a one day festival/celebration of Roots inspired music to take place in Middle Tennessee during the early summer of 2014. A kickoff event has been planned, hosted by Alison Krauss and Jerry Douglas, to raise awareness and funds to support the not for profit music association’s mission and will take place Saturday June 1, 2013 at Liberty Hall at The Factory in Franklin, Tennessee.
Nashville, TN -- Music City Roots and Compass Records Group have announced the release of four compilation albums now available for purchase through iTunes, Amazon, and other key digital music retailers. Each themed album features live performances carefully chosen from the popular radio show’s archives, which tapes and broadcasts in front of a live audience every Wednesday night at the Loveless Barn on the edge of Music City.
Darrell Webb hired David Carroll as the new banjo player for the Darrell Webb Band. Born and raised in Bath County,VA David now lives in Bedford, VA with his wife and daughter. David played banjo for the Deer Creek Boys a local band from Amherst County, VA. David has appeared on stage with a number of national artists "I am really excited and looking forward to being a part of such an awesome band" Said Carroll.
Little King Records is proud to announce the release of Arthel's Guitar by Jack Lawrence. Jack is joined by a stellar cast of bluegrass and acoustic musicians including Wayne Benson on mandolin, Shad Cobb and Don Lewis on fiddle, Curtis Burch on Dobro, Steve Lewis on banjo and Ron Shuffler on bass.Now available at 
In their first release as a group, Shannon and Heather Slaughter & County Clare showcase their special combination of talent that puts them in the rare company of truly cutting edge contemporary bluegrass. One More Road features Shannon and Heather’s masterful singing, arranging, and writing abilities; and is augmented by the powerful instrumental abilities of the entire band. Joining Shannon and Heather on this recording are Ron Inscore – mandolin, Casey Murray –banjo, and John Boulware – fiddle, as well as several other guests.
Nashville, TN -- Hit songwriter Tom Douglas will be honored at the Country Music Hall of Fame® and Museum on Saturday, May 18, as the latest subject of the quarterly programming series Poets and Prophets: Legendary Country Songwriters. The 1:30 p.m. in-depth interview and performance, held in the museum's Ford Theater, is included with museum admission and free to museum members. The program will be streamed live at countrymusichalloffame.org.
Nashville, TN -- Award-winning Bluegrass duo The Roys go full throttle with the debut single and title track from their June 4 CD, Gypsy Runaway Train. The tune describes life on the road for a touring musician and is available to radio today. Programmers can catch the "Gypsy Runaway Train" via AirPlayDirect and Soundcloud.