In the height of lockdown in 2020, banjo extraordinaire Tony Trischka received a mysterious package in his mailbox that would significantly change his next few years. Its contents: one USB drive full of rare recordings of Earl Scruggs jamming with John Hartford, mostly taken from private gatherings at Earl’s house during the 80s and 90s. Naturally, Trischka began pouring over the more than 200 songs, transcribing the all-new solos, tones, and tricks from the man he’d been studying for over half a century.

With the latest preview of his upcoming album Earl Jam: A Tribute To Earl Scruggs, the “father of modern bluegrass” according to New York Times, Tony Trischka, has assembled yet another mind-blowingly talented group of pickers and singers to take on one of the gems of the American songbook, “Bury Me Beneath The Willow.” The lonesome fiddle double-stops in the song’s intro? Well, that’s IBMA and Grammy Award winner Michael Cleveland. The soaring tenor voice taking the lead on the tune’s unforgettable verses?

Grey Fox Bluegrass Festival has added Tony Trischka’s EarlJam: A Tribute to Earl Scruggs, Le Vent du Nord, and Missy Raines and Allegheny to its jam-packed 2024 lineup. Returning to the idyllic grounds of Walsh Farm in Oak Hill, NY, July 17-21, the 24th installment of the beloved bluegrass gathering promises an unforgettable weekend featuring a treasure trove of first-time guests as well as familiar Grey Fox veterans.

“I first met Molly Tuttle at Shasta Camp in northern California,” recalls banjo master and ringleader of the upcoming Earl Jam: A Tribute To Earl Scruggs, Tony Trischka. “There were three banjo teachers, myself and two others, and there was only one banjo student, Molly Tuttle.” It wasn’t long before Trischka invited Tuttle to be part of his Of A Winter’s Night holiday show where the group recorded an album by the same name at Levon Helm’s Barn in Woodstock, New York.

When banjo extraordinaire Tony Trischka opened his mail one afternoon during the height of the Covid lockdown, he certainly wasn’t expecting to get a visit from his old pal, the late great Earl Scruggs. Of course, it wasn’t Earl at the door, but a mysterious thumb drive full of rare recordings of Scruggs jamming with John Hartford, mostly taken from private gatherings at Earl’s house during the 80s and 90s.

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.

They nearly always come back. All the people that leave bluegrass. I had a strong feeling that I’d be coming back as well. My Bluegrass Heart is my first bluegrass record in over 20 years. It comes out September 10th but you can hear Charm School (featuring Billy Strings on guitar and Chris Thile on mandolin) right now.

Join the Bearded Banjo Santas Holiday Hang with Messrs. Béla Fleck, Alan Munde, and Tony Trischka.

From the North Pole, 15 strings will resound and conversation propels across great distances. Be sure not to miss the tintinnabulation as picks click strings on Wednesday, December 23, 8pm ET for an hour of fun and frolic.

Tune in to any of these Banjo Santas' Facebook page to watch! Donations will gladly be accepted for Action Against Hunger USA.

Can you call Billy Strings a newcomer? Maybe not anymore, seeing as how the twenty-something-year-old virtuoso bluegrass guitarist, along with his band of three other members, is now known for selling out large venues around the country. And yet, the word newcomer feels right in the context of making important notches.