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Photo By CarsonPhotography Young kids are often asked, “What do you want to be when you grow up?”  I would guess that a fairly low percentage of adults actually end up fulfilling those childhood dreams.  For musicians it might be different though.  I have interviewed many bluegrass musicians who became enamored with a musical instrument at…

Leading Others  to Bluegrass Success Photo by Shelly Swanger Longtime performer turned business owner Andrea Roberts lived an enviable existence as a bluegrass musician the first part of her life. Her impressive resume includes fronting one of the first all-female bluegrass bands Petticoat Junction and playing alongside some of the genre’s most legendary figures including Bill…

Photo by Robert Nix After becoming an empty nester, Steve Wilson left upstate New York for the beautiful foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains in South Carolina. He expected to keep his fishing line wet in Lake Hartwell a good deal of the time and pick banjo with the local bands on the weekend. Instead,…

Photos By Beth Flick When pickers meet at festivals, good things often happen. After jamming together at Michigan’s Charlotte Bluegrass Festival, Eric Langejans and Todd Kirchner formed the contemporary bluegrass outfit Full Cord in 2008. “We wanted to have fun playing something unique and interesting,” says Kirchner. “Eric came up with the name when he…

All Photos Courtesy of Three On A String Those who are old enough, and lucky enough, to have walked on a weekend night down several deep steps into the Lowenbrau Haus in Birmingham, circa 1972, walked into an enchanted grotto full of music, laughter, thick ropes of smoke and a band called Three on a String….

Equinox Publishing While Rounder Records has released more than bluegrass music over its 50-plus years in the business, the amount of essential bluegrass music found on the label is undeniable. Created a half century and change ago by Bill Nowlin, Ken Irwin and Marian Leighton Levy, the record label has gone from a small imprint…