Guitar-master dexterity was on dazzling display at the sold-out Crest Theatre in Sacramento on December 13, headlined by one of the finest and most heralded guitarists in the land, Tommy Emmanuel. His set was preceded by a duet featuring dobro whiz and 32-time Grammy nominee Jerry Douglas along with Daniel Kimbro on double bass.

With its 10th anniversary approaching, the Earl Scruggs Center is proud to announce the return of its annual Remembering Earl benefit concert, taking place Saturday, January 13, 2024 at Malcolm Brown Auditorium in Shelby, NC.

Earl Scruggs rests in a vast suburban cemetery just outside Nashville, Tennessee, beside his devoted wife and manager, among countless other memorials to the departed. A short distance away, the Country Music Hall of Fame displays his banjo alongside the instruments of his bluegrass peers, Bill Monroe and Lester Flatt. While Scruggs might not have single-handedly birthed bluegrass, he undeniably propelled it to prominence with his groundbreaking three-finger playing style, relentless touring, and fusion of bluegrass with rock and pop.

The second annual Earl Scruggs Music Festival is right around the corner on Labor Day weekend, and I had the opportunity to chat this week with festival producer Claire Armbruster to get a preview of what they have planned for all of us this year.

On July 20, 2023, the Lobero Theatre resonated with the sounds of mastery and innovation as Jerry Douglas, the dobro virtuoso took the stage by storm. A palpable electricity permeated the air, the anticipation crackling like a live wire as fans, their faces glowing with excitement, gathered for a night destined to be filled with melodic enchantment.

A dazzling array of musicians, across generations and genres, have contributed to a new album that celebrates the deep influence and legacy of Doc Watson, the North Carolina guitarist, singer and songwriter who would have turned 100 on March 3 of this year. I Am A Pilgrim: Doc Watson at 100 features new renditions of some of Watson’s most beloved recordings from his expansive catalog.

Although considered to be a rising star in the country music arena these days, Mo Pitney is quick to tell you his interest in music was first peaked with the sounds of banjos and bluegrass; especially that of the late J.D. Crowe. That interest spawned into a thriving career and the opportunity to re-create one of Crowe's classics in the most organic way possible - by accident.

“Every song written feels like a little victory to its writer. Sure, some are better than others, and from time to time—if you’re lucky—you write something special. But every one counts,” says Eric Gibson of International Bluegrass Music Association Award-winners, The Gibson Brothers.

MerleFest, presented by Window World, will honor Doc Watson’s 100th birthday, and commemorate the festival’s 35th year in 2023. To celebrate the historic milestone, organizers intend to showcase MerleFest’s unique history, celebrate the festival’s diverse, genre-crossing catalog, and present unique artist collaborations to honor the festival’s founding folk icon.

Multi-Platinum and award-winning singer/songwriter Dierks Bentley has always encompassed the values and sounds that have defined his authentic two-decade career. Those many strains of Country music he's mastered and cultivated span the arena shaker to the barroom weeper to the bluegrass fireballer.