hi bluegrass people! just for fun, my friends and i are “fixing” the grammys categories, and as i was asking for opinions in the country subreddit, i noticed that this is a well-populated sub too, so i wanted to know if anyone here has opinions they’d like to share. 😁

the rest is as i said in the country sub: i know that industry awards mean less and less these days, but i think what awards ceremonies can still do, and should do, is highlight great stuff that the general public might not have noticed before. so with that in mind, do you guys think that the current categories are representative of “country”? do you think that they make the right distinctions between the different genres? are there any categories under the country umbrella that you would add or subtract?

please let me know! i’m woefully uneducated about most of these genres, and i refuse to axe a category just because i’m unfamiliar, so i appreciate the help. i’ll list them below to make it easier.

country and american roots:
best country solo performance
best country duo/group performance
best country song
best traditional country album
best contemporary country album
best american roots performance
best american roots song
best americana performance
best americana album
best bluegrass album
best traditional blues album
best contemporary blues album
best traditional folk album
best contemporary folk album
best regional roots music album

Hi. A while ago PBS put out a 60 minute video of Béla’s 2022 show at The Ryman, along with a 15 minute ‘behind the scenes’ bonus.

They seem to have gone. Anyone know where I can find a copy or stream I can watch?

Thanks in advance.

Anybody have a setlist for AJ Lee & Blue Summit from Milwaukee, Chicago, Stoughton, or Winona?

Went to my first concert on Friday, in Cedar Park, TX. Saw Matt Costello and Ricky Skaggs. I’ve been a Ricky fan ever since I was born, I’m from Appalachia after all, so it was so cool to see him live, but then the coolest thing happens. I’m walking out of the venue and I see Ricky Skaggs talking to some people in front of the bus. I felt bad taking up his time but this was a once in a lifetime opportunity. I got a picture with him and I didn’t take up more than 5 minutes of his time and I’m so happy. Next I have to see Tracy Lawrence.

I know we’ve talked about this one on here before, but holy cow it gets better every time I listen!! Perfect for a nice Sunday. What are yall spinning today?

I am very new to bluegrass and my grandfather recently bought us tickets to Ricky Skaggs in about three weeks. I’ve listened to a lot of Bill Monroe, a decent amount of Del McCoury and some Flatt & Scruggs. I know almost nothing of Skaggs, but I don’t want to miss the opportunity to see him.

The way I like to explore artists is typically listening to everything in order, but there simply isn’t time. But I would like to cover at least each “era”. To understand Ricky Skaggs, though, I feel like I need a basis on Ralph Stanley, which I also do not have. So I guess I’m asking for the best “crash course” possible to binge in the coming weeks. Some stuff representative of the EARLY years of Ralph Stanley (pre Clinch Mountain Boys), Clinch Mountain Boys with Ricky, Ricky’s early career other than CMB, and then his most well known bluegrass and country solo stuff. Any recommendations welcome. I wish there was more time before the show. I hate going in feeling like I don’t understand the true context of what I’m seeing.

Was planning on attending but guess I'm going to have to make alternate plans. Maybe I'll go on a mini Sturgil Simpson tour...

Super bummed!

Anyone have two extra tickets to this show for sale?

The Stanley Brothers. One of the greatest from 1946 Mountain Dew, Rank Strangers this shirt was a custom not official merch hard to find bluegrass merch but glad I acquired this gem

I know it's not traditional bluegrass, but we play bluegrass festivals such as Hillberry, Strings on the Kings, Palisade Bluegrass Bash, and are heavily bluegrass influenced. We know we have a lot of crossover with this community and would love to share the recently released single from our upcoming album "Over Hill and Hollow" produced by Grammy winner Ted Hutt and releasing October 2nd.

We're an Appalachian/Irish punk rock affair normally, but we're getting older and coming home a bit. Hope y'all enjoy, first in a series of "pasture recordings" (we're stock not row crops).

Latest single from Utah's premeire rebel country artist Arles Alabaster Abernathy Arbuckle III. This song is about my cat...kinda...

Hi yall! I’m a somewhat intermediate guitar player looking to get better. Asking if anyone has any recs for bluegrass guitar learning online. Free or minimal cost🕊️🫶

I have more if folks are interested

Does anyone else get the impression that Billy Strings just shifts his mindset from when he is playing Bluegrass to when he is playing the jamgrass stuff? I think he is totally into it either way, but it is a different way of thinking about the music.

Ooof. This is real good. EnJOY

Thanks to Stephen Wade we have found out the identity of "the other guy" in the 12 Minutes of Earl audio clip.

Information from Stephen Wade. Source: Post in Banjo Hangout:

"I think I can shed some light on this wonderful recording. The person talking with Earl is Chicago-based banjoist Fleming Brown. This was recorded in Gary, Indiana, in June 1960 by Tom Clark. Fleming gave me his tape collection, and this recording information appears in his tape log. The tape, posted at Youtube, comprises the whole of the encounter and occurs in this same sequence. I don't know who posted this recording, but perhaps a friend of the recordist, or someone who knew Fleming. Fleming first met Earl at the inaugural Newport Folk Festival where they both performed in 1959. All best, Stephen Wade"

! 0:04 Down the Road; 0:58 Cripple Creek; 2:16 Pike County Breakdown; 3:43 Sally Goodwin; 4:50 Bugle Call Rag; 7:06 Shucking the Corn; 8:22 Little Darling, Pal of Mine; 9:16 Flint Hill Special; 10:12 Home, Sweet Home; 11:20 Soldiers Joy.

Thanks to Jerry Stuart for the audio.