This week we feature guitar player Mark Cosgrove. Mark is a national flatpicking guitar champion who has toured with musicians like Jerry Douglas and Liz Meyer and, most recently, he spent 12 years on the road with David Bromberg and has performed and recorded with many others, including his own band called Good Medicine. Mark has also produced a number of solo albums over the years and is recognized as one of the heroes of flatpicking guitar.
Nov 28, 2024•57 min•Season 1Ep. 215
This week we fearure singer Jen Larson and talk with her work as the manager of the archives at the Grand Ole Opry and her approach to teaching vocal lessons. She will be one of the vocal instructors at Bluegrass Unlimited’s workshop weekend in February 2025, which will be hosted by the Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame and Museum.
Nov 21, 2024•56 min•Season 1Ep. 214
This week we feature multi-instrumentalist Tim May. Tim spent fifteen years performing with the band Crucial Smith and has also toured with Patty Loveless, John Cowan, Eddie Rabbit, Rodney Dillard, Kathy Mattea and many others. Tim is also a popular instructor at music workshops and camps and has produced a number of instructional books and videos.
Nov 14, 2024•55 min•Season 1Ep. 213
This week we feature fiddler Kenny Kosek. Kenny has played for many great bands over the years, including Country Cooking and Breakfast Special back in the early 1970s, and also has produced instructional books and videos that are popular amongst bluegrass fiddlers. He now has a new album out titled Twisted Sage . We’ll talk about the new album and also play a cut off of the record.
Nov 07, 2024•1 hr 10 min•Season 1Ep. 212
This week we feature banjo player Gena Britt. We speak with Gena about her many years in bluegrass music. We talk about how she got started, the many bands that she has performed with over the years and her current job with Sister Sadie.
Oct 31, 2024•1 hr 2 min•Season 1Ep. 211
This week we feature fiddler Steve Thomas and talk with him about his years playing bluegrass with legends such as Jim & Jesse, The Osborne Brothers and The Whites, plus his work with a number of country music stars. We will also talk about his current job with the new all-star bluegrass band Southern Legacy and his own band Steve Thomas & The Time Machine.
Oct 24, 2024•1 hr 5 min•Season 1Ep. 210
This week we feature singer, songwriter and guitar picker Rebecca Frazier and talk with her about her new album on Compass Records called Boarding Windows in Paradise . First we’ll talk with Rebecca about her bluegrass and flatpicking guitar journey and then we’ll talk about the recording and hear several cuts from the album.
Oct 17, 2024•1 hr 25 min•Season 1Ep. 209
This week we feature legendary Dobro player Jerry Douglas. Jerry not only was recently inducted into the Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame, but his band has a new album out titled The Set . We talk with Jerry about his career in bluegrass, the Hall of Fame induction and the new recording.
Oct 10, 2024•1 hr 10 min•Season 1Ep. 208
This week we feature banjo player Chris Warner. We talk with Chris about the two periods of time that he spent with Jimmy Martin and also discuss his performing with Del McCoury, Tom Adams, Audie Blaylock and others. We also talk about Chris’ time as a music store owner and instrument repairman.
Oct 03, 2024•56 min•Season 1Ep. 207
This week we feature 93-year-old bluegrass, folk and country music legend Bill Clifton. Bill has had an amazing career in bluegrass music both in the United States and Europe. We talk with Bill about his career in bluegrass and also about his friendships with such music legends as A.P. Carter and Woody Guthrie. This one runs longer than most of our podcasts, but with Bill having such a long career, we went ahead and let this one run long.
Sep 25, 2024•2 hr 6 min•Season 1Ep. 206
This week we feature Del McCoury’s brother, bass and guitar player Jerry McCoury. In addition to spending time performing and recording with Del, Jerry has played music with a impressive list of other bluegrass greats—including Red Allen and Reno & Smiley. We talk with Jerry about his time performing with those bands and more.
Sep 19, 2024•54 min•Season 1Ep. 205
This week we feature mandolin master Ronnie McCoury and talk with him about his many years playing with his father Del and his work with The Travelin’ McCourys. We’ll also talk about his mandolin heroes, his many IBMA awards, and the latest Del McCoury Band project.
Sep 12, 2024•1 hr 18 min•Season 1Ep. 204
This week we feature Dan Tyminski and talk to him about his new live album and the Dan Tyminski Band. We will also talk to Dan about how he got started in bluegrass and his years with the Lonesome River Band and Alison Krauss and Union Station. You will also hear several cuts from the new record.
Sep 05, 2024•1 hr 30 min•Season 1Ep. 203
This week we feature Rhonda Vincent’s banjo player Aaron McDaris. We’ll talk about the various bands that Aaron has played in over the years, his purchase of the "Rocky Top" banjo from Sonny Osborne, the time he has spent in Rhonda’s band and his acquisition of the Starvey Creek Bluegrass Festival.
Aug 29, 2024•1 hr 3 min•Season 1Ep. 202
This week we feature fiddle player Randy Lanham. Randy is the Education Director at the Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame and Museum located in Owensboro, Kentucky. I’ll talk with Randy about his career performing music and we will discuss all of the in-person and online opportunities that he makes available through the Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame and Museum.
Aug 22, 2024•56 min•Season 1Ep. 201
This week we feature Blue Highway’s bass player and lead singer Wayne Taylor. We talk about Wayne’s early years in bluegrass, his 30 years performing and recording with Blue Highway, the newest Blue Highway recording and the Blue Highway festival.
Aug 15, 2024•1 hr 1 min•Season 1Ep. 200
This week we feature banjo player Daniel Grindstaff and talk with him about his newest album Heroes and Friends. Early in his career Daniel played with several of the first generation bluegrass legends, such as Jim & Jesse and The Osborne Brothers. He has also been on the road with Marty Raybon and with Marty’s brother Tim. We will talk about his time spent with those bands and will discuss some details about the new album. You’ll also hear some cuts from the album.
Aug 08, 2024•1 hr 20 min•Season 1Ep. 199
This week we feature Darin and Brooke Aldridge. We talk with them about their careers in bluegrass music, how they met, their recordings, performances and songwriting and their latest album titled Talk of the Town . During the podcast you’ll have the chance to hear a few cuts from the album.
Aug 01, 2024•1 hr 8 min•Season 1Ep. 198
This week we feature multi-instrumentalist and singer Keith Little. We talk with Keith about his long career in bluegrass starting on the west coast playing with Vern and Ray and various other California bands, then working with the Country Gentlemen, going to Nashville to work with Ricky Skaggs and Dolly Parton and then back out west to work with David Grisman and Peter Rowan.
Jul 25, 2024•1 hr 26 min•Season 1Ep. 197
This week we feature fiddle player Jim VanCleve. We talk with Jim about his early days in Florida, his work with bands like Lou Reid and Carolina, Doyle Lawson and Quicksilver, Mountain Heart and the Appalachian Road Show. We also discuss his mentoring of the young band Indigo Roots, who are featured in our July 2024 issue.
Jul 18, 2024•1 hr 3 min•Season 1Ep. 196
This week we feature guitar and bass player Jed Clark. In our July 2024 issue we include a story about the Indigo Roots Band. The core of the band is comprised of the three Kelley siblings. Jed often plays guitar to make up the fourth member of the band. We talk with Jed about his early days in Arkansas performing with his brother Harry and the many bands he has performed with in Nashville.
Jul 10, 2024•58 min•Season 1Ep. 195
This week we featured guitar player, singer and vocal instructor Dede Wyland. Dede spent years performing with our July 2024 cover story artist in the band Skyline, but she has had a full career in bluegrass both before and after performing in that band. She is also a well-known vocal instructor. We talk with Dede about her career in bluegrass music and her current bands and projects.
Jul 04, 2024•58 min•Season 1Ep. 194
This week we feature banjo player, singer and songwriter Alan O'Bryant of the Nashville Bluegrass Band. We talk with Alan about his early days in North Carolina, his move to Nashville and early experiences there working with James Monroe, his years with the Nashville Bluegrass Band and then we move on to talk about his current musical endeavours.
Jun 26, 2024•1 hr 24 min•Season 1Ep. 193
This week we feature singer, guitar player and bass player Terry Eldredge. Terry has had a long career in bluegrass and has spent time in bands with a number of our first generation bluegrass heroes. He was also a founding member of The Sidemen and The Grascals. He is currently performing with The Farm Hands. We talk with Terry about the many aspects of his very interesting career in bluegrass music.
Jun 20, 2024•53 min•Season 1Ep. 192
This week we feature singer, songwriter, producer and guitar player Jon Randall. Jon will be best known to bluegrass fans as a member of Emmylou Harris' band and then as a member of the Sam Bush Band. He is also a very successful songwriter and producer in Nashville and back in 2010 he produced a bluegrass album for our June 2024 cover story artist Dierks Bentley.
Jun 13, 2024•58 min•Season 1Ep. 191
This week we feature mandolin player Jesse Brock. Jesse is currently a member of Authentic Unlimited and the band has two new albums out. We talk with Jesse about his career leading up to performing with Authentic Unlimited and you'll have a chance to hear a few tracks from the band's new recordings.
Jun 06, 2024•1 hr 16 min•Season 1Ep. 190
This week we feature bass player Todd Phillips. Todd has had a long career in acoustic music performing with many legendary musicians such as David Grisman, Tony Rice and Joan Baez. He was also a member of the Bluegrass Album Band and currently performs with the Appalachian Road Show. We talk with Todd about many aspects of his career in bluegrass in this week's podcast.
May 29, 2024•1 hr 12 min•Season 1Ep. 189
The week we feature guitar player and songwriter Peter McLaughlin. Peter started his bluegrass career in the Washington, D.C. area and has now lived in Tucson, Arizona for many years. He has been active in the bluegrass music scene in the southwest for decades. We'll talk with Peter about his work with Laurie Lewis, The Perfect Strangers, Chris Brashear, the Sonoran Dogs and more.
May 23, 2024•57 min•Season 1Ep. 188
This week we are talking with banjo player and record label owner Alison Brown. We talk with Alison about her career in music, starting with how she became interested in the banjo and her early days in southern California up to her recent recordings with Steve Martin. We will also discuss her thirty years as a record label owner and talk about what is new in bluegrass from Compass Records.
May 15, 2024•1 hr 3 min•Season 1Ep. 187
This week we feature banjo player Grace van't Hof. Our May 2024 issue features Chris Jones on the cover and Grace currently plays banjo with Chris Jones and the Night Drivers. We talk with Grace about learning to play the banjo, her professional bluegrass journey, her love of old country music and the other unique instrument that she plays with the band, which is not quite a baritone uke and not quite a tenor guitar.
May 08, 2024•1 hr 12 min•Season 1Ep. 186
