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Bluegrass festival links for January 2021. Click on titles to visit event websites for more information. Jekyll Island New Year’s Bluegrass Festival.December 31st through January 2nd, in Jekyll Island, Georgia. SPBGMA Bluegrass Music Awards & Midwest Convention.January in Jefferson City, Missouri. Blythe Bluegrass Festival.in Blythe, California. Bluegrass In Superclass.The 7th through the 9th, in Oregon, Ohio. […]
Carter Scratch by Wayne Erbsen They didn’t call her Mother Maybelle for nuthin.’ Nope. In addition to being the mother of three girls (Helen, Valerie June, and Anita), Maybelle Carter certainly earned the title of Mother of Bluegrass Guitar. Starting in 1927, her lead and rhythm guitar playing laid the foundation that was built upon […]
Truth About the Lester Flatt G Run © 2018 by Wayne Erbsen Bluegrass hero Lester Flatt had a lot to be proud of. One of his most lasting achievements was the G run that bears his name. You can hear this distinctive guitar run in practically every traditional bluegrass song that can be played on […]
The Big Bang Theory of Bluegrass by Wayne Erbsen If the “big bang theory” helps to explain the origin of the universe, perhaps “the big bang theory of bluegrass” will shed some light on the origin of the bluegrass music universe. First, let me say that there are two schools of thought as to the […]
by Wayne Erbsen When we talk about the most popular bluegrass songs, “Nine Pound Hammer” nearly always floats to the top. Let’s follow the scent and try to sniff out the origins of this famous tune. After the Civil War, when able-bodied men were scarce, former slaves and convicts were conscripted to build tunnels and […]
Fox On The Run © 2017 By Wayne Erbsen In the early 1970s “Fox on the Run” was among the most requested bluegrass songs. Along with “Rocky Top,” a bluegrass band could scarcely play a show without fans yelling for “Rocky Top” or “Fox on the Run.” The song was written in 1968 by an […]
