In a heavy-hearted announcement on June 23, 2023, we mourn the passing of a mandolin legend and celebrated musician, Jesse McReynolds, aged 93. His soulful melodies and intricate picking have made a lasting impression on the bluegrass scene, reaching into the heart of the Grateful Dead's extensive repertoire. His profound influence extended beyond the confines of genre, and his unique approach to the mandolin left an indelible mark on music history.

The latest radio release from High Fidelity features the oldest living patriarch of bluegrass music and oldest active member of the Grand Ole Opry. The one and only Jesse McReynolds guests on mandolin and vocals on “Tears of Regret,” a Jim & Jesse song originally recorded in 1955.

It takes a hell of a lot to get me to brave the absolute sardine-pack that is a sold-out Ogden Theatre in Denver for 3 consecutive nights. There are very few bands that would warrant something like that but Billy Strings is up there at the top of the shortlist.  Over the course of a cold weekend in December, the city of Denver was lucky enough to get to take part in the only three-night run of Billy Strings’ fall tour.

“I’m here as a friend and a fan,” Grand Ole Opry star Jan Howard declared to a crowd of Jesse McReynolds’ closest friends and family on July 13th, 2014, in Gallatin, Tennessee.  It was a lively gathering on a sunny Sunday at Jesse’s farm, the Pick Inn, to celebrate his 85th birthday and there was no shortage of tributes from Jesse’s colleagues, neighbors and friends.  Nine of Nashville’s finest, Homer Bradley (the unofficial “Mayor of Cairo”), WSM announcer Eddie Stubbs, fiddle-player Jim Buchanan, Opry stars

Grateful Web recently had a chance to speak with legendary bluegrass mandolinist, Jesse McReynolds. Jesse’s use of ‘crosspicking’, known as the ‘McReynolds style’ distinguished his picking from Bill Monroe and others. Jesse is a multiple Grammy award winner and in 1993 he was inducted into the Bluegrass Hall of Fame. 

On Saturday, April 26, owner Dean Carlson will host his first Bluegrass Festival at Wyebrook Farm (150 Wyebrook Road, 610-942-7481), an exciting all-day celebration of live music at one of the region’s most stunning outdoor settings.  From 12 noon until 7 p.m., musical guests will perform on the lawn between the pond and The Cafe at Wyebrook Farm, culminating in a performance from International Bluegrass Music Hall of Honor indu

Inducted in 1964, Bluegrass legends Jim & Jesse are celebrating 50 Years as members of the GRAND OLE OPRY this year.  On March 1st the Grand Ole Opry® will honor Jesse McReyonlds as he celebrates his 50th year as a member of the Grand Ole Opry®.  The success of their 60’s radio shows prompted Martha White Flour to bring them to Nashville to star on their early morning show on WSM.  In 1964 a life time dream came

As Tim O’Brien and Friends kicked off the final set of RockyGrass 2012, I planted my feet a couple of yards behind the elevated stage. The canopy of treetops overhead, awash in color from the stage lights, absorbed a light drizzle. To my right, the deity of all double bassists, Edgar Meyer, calmly warmed up next to the main stage staircase.

There were bigger, more well-known happenings this past weekend. So what was I doing in the middle of a pasture, in a 1975 Apache Mesa, covering the Grey Fox Music Festival? I was going through initiation. You see, this isn’t a festival. It’s a family; a tight knit group of Northeastern hippies, strict grass fans, old party hounds, their new-picking offspring and countless other factions who are represented in this family-friendly, hard partying, yet responsibly sustaining event.

If you are into small crowds for big acts, organic and local cuisine, comfortable camping and world-class bluegrass, old time roots and dance music, then read on about the Grey Fox Festival in Oak Hill, NY from July 19-22. For the 36th year, one of USA Today’s “top places to see bluegrass” returns to the comfortable confines of the Catskills with a Who’s Who of Bluegrass on the line-up.