Category: Featured

Wayne Taylor & Appaloosa | Ireland 2019

Posted by Dave Jnr | July 18, 2020

“Appaloosa, who, according to their website, are a ‘a group of seasoned musicians who play predominately original, contemporary and traditional Bluegrass music’, were formed in 2008 by Wayne Taylor after retiring from 21 years of service with Country Current, the US Navy’s renowned country-bluegrass ensemble. Wayne has shared a stage, and a song (‘Uncle Pen’ no less), with Bill Monroe (in 1995) and his two-decade-plus stretch with the Navy band, the last 9 of which were as band leader, saw him play for many a bigwig – heads of state, royalty and even 4 US presidents. But on this night, World Bluegrass Day 2019, he played for us, us and about 70 others in the Village Arts Centre in sleepy Kilworth, County Cork.”

Kenny Baker | Jenkins, KY | Bluegrass Trails

Posted by Dave Jnr | July 6, 2020

“We did our pre-departure homework, so we were confident at the time that we’d find some reference in Jenkins or neighbouring Burdine/East Jenkins to master fiddler and former local boy Kenny Baker, best known for his 25-year tenure with Bill Monroe, the longest tenure of any of Monroe’s Blue Grass Boys. But no, nothing. Not on the streets of the town, nor among the foliage of the town’s Sam Bentley Cemetery. We came up short.”

Seth Mulder & Midnight Run | Ireland 2020

Posted by Dave Jnr | June 27, 2020

“Seth Mulder & Midnight Run is high-energy, traditional bluegrass with a ‘fresh approach to the ‘High Lonesome sound’. One of the most entertaining bluegrass acts on the scene today, we are huge fans of these guys, and if you had but a single bluegrass-lovin’ bone in your whole body then you’d understand why. We hadn’t planned on seeing three shows of their exhaustive early 2020 Ireland & UK tour, but we did. We kept going back for more.”

Lester Flatt & Benny Martin | Sparta, TN | Bluegrass Trails

Posted by Dave Jnr | June 19, 2020

“… Sparta is small-town musical Tennessee with some big-name former residents, one of which, Lester Flatt, is one of the most influential proponents of the bluegrass sound he helped to pioneer. Present-day Sparta is grabbing this association with both hands and running with it, even going so far as to brand itself as ‘Bluegrass USA’, and who could blame it if doing so is going to attract the likes of bluegrass-lovin’ us.”

Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver | Apply Now

Posted by Dave Jnr | June 6, 2020

“Probably no band of late better signifies the revolving door nature of a bluegrass ensemble than does Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver. With the recent announcement of banjo man Joe Dean’s departure from the band, hot on the heals of fiddler Stephen Burwell’s departure announcement last week and dobro ace Josh Swift’s in January, Doyle Lawson is probably frantically scouring Craigslist in a bid to find the latest Quicksilver members (not really; we’re pretty sure he has more appropriate and established channels as he has excelled in this aspect of bluegrass band HR since Quicksilver’s formation in 1979).”

Frank Solivan & Dirty Kitchen | Bluegrass Island 2018

Posted by Dave Jnr | May 31, 2020

“At the risk of offending, Frank Solivan & Dirty Kitchen… is a Marmite band, an informal British-based term meaning in this case that you either like their line-muddying, boundary-pushing, refuses-to-be-pigeonholed brand of bluegrass or you don’t … however you class their take on the genre, the quartet, collectively the IBMA’s Instrumental Group of the Year in 2016 (they sing as well, by the way), let their instruments speak for themselves, and speak they do. I guess that’s why I hit record on my camera. Three times, for three choice morsels, you could say.”

Tom T. Hall | Olive Hill, KY | Bluegrass Trails

Posted by Dave Jnr | May 25, 2020

“Portions of the Carter County town of Olive Hill, KY … were as quiet as we’d come to expect from rural Kentucky, but the town is both big enough (population over 1,500) to boast some activity and its residents curious enough to approach us wondering what on earth we obvious out-of-towners were doing poking around somewhere like Olive Hill. “Blame Tom T.”, we said. “Who else?”

Ricky Skaggs | Europe 1985

Posted by Dave Jnr | May 18, 2020

“Only a 9-year-old me would have the gumption to solicit Ricky’s attention mid-set during the Dublin leg of his 1985 European tour, his first tour as a bandleader at the height of his 1980’s country success and a tour that would spawn an album, ‘Live In London’, that would leave an indelible impression on me.”

Jimmy Martin | Sneedville, TN | Bluegrass Trails

Posted by Dave Jnr | May 14, 2020

“… Sneedville, Tennessee, may be one of the poorest towns in the US… but at least it can lay claim to being the hometown of Jimmy ‘King of Bluegrass’ Martin. Suffice it to say, this is the only reason we found ourselves on the streets of the town searching out signs of Sneedville’s favourite son while receiving inquisitive stares from the few locals we encountered; Sneedville is a friendly town (we got free coffee), but it’s still the kind of place where everybody knows everybody else and if you ain’t from round these parts then you’re gonna stand out. We did.”

Billy Strings | Bluegrass Island 2017

Posted by Dave Jnr | May 8, 2020

“Although it’s less than three years ago now that we met and saw guitar sensation Billy Strings live for the first time, we’re pretty sure he’s a bit of a bigger deal now than he was back then; playing now to sold-out venues and headlining major festivals, his rise since has seemingly been as rapid as his pickin’ as he continues to push boundaries, straddle genres, shred strings, and dazzle all who witness his sets.”

COUNTDOWN TO IBMA WOB

Join Our Mailing List

Facebook Feed

My Grass Is Blue

3 days ago

📜 OSBORNE BROTHERS | JOINED OPRY OTD 1964 📜

It was on this day, August 8 in 1964, a whole 56 years ago 😮, that Sonny and Bobby, the Osborne Brothers, joined the Grand Ole Opry.

🆕 NEW ON THE BLOG 🆕
Check out the latest on the blog recounting our #BluegrassTrails 🚗 visit to Hyden, KY, Sonny and Bobby’s hometown and location for the annual The Osborne Brother's Hometown Festival. Sonny and Bobby bios, videos, podcasts etc, means there is a lot more Osborne Brother goodness on the blog than what we found in a sleepy Hyden late on a mid-October afternoon. 😴

🌐 >>> mygrassisblue.com/Hyden-Kentucky/

#bluegrass #bluegrassmusic #bluegrasshistory #OsborneBrothers #THEOsborneBrothers #SonnyOsborne #BobbyOsborne #opry #onthisday #onthisdayinmusic #onthisdayinbluegrass #musichistroy #festival #bluegrassfestival Osborne Brothers - Bluegrass Legends ... See MoreSee Less

The Osborne Brothers, Hyden, KY - Bluegrass Trails | mygrassisblue.com

mygrassisblue.com

mygrassisblue.com following bluegrass trails to Hyden, Kentucky, hometown of IBMA Hall of Fame Bobby & Sonny Osborne, the celebrated Osborne Brothers.

View on Facebook

The Twitters

My Grass Is BlueFollow

7 Aug

It's a big #HappyBirthday to @alisononbanjo! #bluegrass #banjo #AlisonBrown #womeninbluegrass

Reply on Twitter 1291858025347788801 Retweet on Twitter 1291858025347788801 Like on Twitter 12918580253477888012

30 Jul

Hi folks don't forget to join us this evening on @BGJamboree 5pm-7pm EST Music from @TheGrascals @MerleMonroeBand @TerriClarkMusic @TracyByrdMusic
#lovethatbluegrassmusic #bluegrassradio #internetradio #mygrassisblue #bluegrassmusic #bluegrassnew #internetcountry #countrymusic

Reply on Twitter 1288823309749161984 Retweet on Twitter 1288823309749161984 Like on Twitter 1288823309749161984

30 Jul

#Happybirthday to @RonBlockAKUS, longtime #banjoman with #AlisonKraussandUnionStation and frequent and recent visitor to these Irish shores, born #onthisday, July 30, in 1964. #bluegrass #bluegrassmusic #banjo #RonBlock

Reply on Twitter 1288790833270083584 Retweet on Twitter 1288790833270083584 Like on Twitter 1288790833270083584

MORE OF THE TWITTERS