Junior was among the longest-serving members of Ralph Stanley & The Clinch Mountain Boys, playing lead guitar with him for 19 years, starting in 1977. He was a fine exponent of the crosspicking guitar style pioneered by George Shuffler with The Stanley Brother, which remained a part of Ralph’s sound until the end. His son, Ralph Stanley II, continues that tradition today with The Clinch Mountain Boys.

The Stanley connection was actually a Blankenship family affair, as his father, Hillard Sr., drove the bus for Ralph, probably why he agreed to let his son join the band at only 17 years of age. Junior’s first show with Ralph was in Myrtle Beach, SC.

Father and son had also performed together in The Rocky Mountain Boys.

During his time with Stanley, Junior appeared on 20 recordings, and on a trip with the Boys to Japan not long after he joined. This was a very strong edition of the group, with his tenure crossing periods with such stellar artists as Jack Cooke, Curly Ray Cline, Charlie Sizemore, and Ernie Thacker.

He also toured for a time with Ralph II, and recorded with him as well.

In response to the news of Junior’s death, II posted this online.

“Heartbroken to hear the news of my good buddy Junior Blankenship passing. We travelled many miles together through the years. We sure will miss him.”

After his time with The Clinch Mountain Boys, Junior continued to play traditional mountain bluegrass. Together with an old bandmate he was part of the Ernie Thacker-Junior Blankenship Band, who left behind a pair of very soulful albums. He also performed with his own Junior Blankenship Band.

Outside of a short stint living in Nashville, Junior stayed close to home in Dickenson County, VA.

Bluegrass fans will remember Junior for his bright smile and kind manner towards everyone who spoke with him, as well as his superb guitar playing and singing.

A graveside service was held yesterday, June 28, at J.S Willis Cemetery in Haysi, VA.

R.I.P., Junior Blankenship.

The post Junior Blankenship passes appeared first on Bluegrass Today.

Season 21 of America’s Got Talent on the NBC television network has sent a bluegrass act through from auditions, as they did in 2015 when Mountain Faith made a long un on the show, and in 2008 when The Wright Kids did the same. Is this the year when they go all the way?

Madelyn Tallent and Malachi Martin are an acoustic duo from Tennessee, guitar and banjo, who auditioned live on the show June 23, performing Counting Stars, a song that Summer Brooke and Mountain Faith sang on the show 11 years ago.

Here’s how it went down.

Best of luck to Madelyn and Malachi going forward – fingers crossed!

The post Madelyn Tallent & Malachi Martin on America’s Got Talent appeared first on Bluegrass Today.

The long-running bluegrass festival in Charlotte, Michigan continues to grow and improve, aided in no small part by legitimate rock star Billy Strings’ affection for the annual event that helped shape him as a youngster. Before campers even arrived on Thursday, rumors were circulating that Billy would appear with his friends and heroes in the scheduled bands, and he did not disappoint.

A star-studded lineup, expanded camping area, increased food options, professional stage, and upgraded sound and lights seem likely to be have been made possible by Billy’s set last year. Happily, the new crowd of tie-dyed fans did not take over what has always been a well-run bluegrass festival, but instead integrated nicely with the longtime attendees. The event never seemed crowded, and the lovely weather added to the peaceful vibe.

Thursday

The first official day of the festival started off strong, with sets from Michigan bands Harbourtown and Full Cord. The David Mayfield Parade electrified the crowd with supercharged shows, followed by the Dan Tyminski Band, who were amazingly tight but also fun and relaxed.

Tyminski’s band displayed incredible depth as they delivered everything from masterful renditions of bluegrass standards like Old Home Place, to material he recorded with Alison Krauss and Union Station (This Sad Song), and all the way to Swedish DJ Avicii’s international smash hit Hey Brother. In another example of the melding of the Billy Strings culture with more traditional bluegrass, a conga line formed in front of the stage as the band ripped through Cheyenne—surely a first!

Friday

That all seemed like enough for most festivals, but Charlotte was just getting started. Friday brought performances by 16-year-old multi-instrumentalist Gavin Conley & the Michigan Bluegrass Band, and the family band Kentucky Just Us.

The Travelin’ McCourys made their Charlotte debut to an enthusiastic welcome. Ronnie McCoury’s acrobatic voice is uncannily like his dad’s, and his mandolin work is lightning fast but crystal clear. Alan Bartram’s lead vocals added warmth and color, and the eclectic material (from Bruce Hornsby’s The Way It Is to a super-fast Foggy Mountain Breakdown) showed off everyone’s chops.

The crowd’s hopes were fulfilled in the evening set when Billy Strings walked out in an IBMA ball cap and shades to casually shred with the band on Billy’s Highway Hypnosis, Ronnie’s Baltimore Johnny, and the Grateful Dead’s Scarlet Begonias.

After a short break, most of the band returned in suits to become the Del McCoury Band. Sons Ronnie and Rob are now the age that Del was when many folks first saw them play together, but the patriarch has not lost a step, with that same laser-cannon voice and good-natured chuckle. The choreographed interplay of the band as they traded licks was smooth and seamless.

The highlight of the set came when Billy Strings returned to the stage with his dad Terry Barber to perform Bill Monroe’s Can’t You Hear Me Callin’ with Del and the boys. Their spine-tingling trio singing on the Stanley Brother classic, A Lonesome Night, was an unforgettable moment—a wonderful homecoming to the festival that helped form the young guitarist.

Saturday

At this point, it didn’t seem like the festival could hold any more highlights, but they just kept on coming. The crowd was treated to more sets from Gavin Conley and the Kevin Prater Band. The Amanda Cook Band played great and showed a lot of flexibility, at one point combining Gillian Welch’s Caleb Meyer with David Grisman’s EMD. Amanda’s voice is just as clear and lovely in live performance as it is in her recordings, and she has a charming, easy manner with the audience.

Larry Sparks and the Lonesome Ramblers played a single set that was everything you’d want from a genuine legend of bluegrass. Larry delivered soulful singing, classic guitar work, and his signature MC work. He also called promoter Wes Pettinger to the stage to play banjo for a cheering crowd.

A number of the Billy Strings fans had already departed that morning, but their hero had one last surprise in store. Before the set he had been spotted behind the merchandise table, sitting and chatting with Larry, and sure enough, he took the stage one more time to sing a soaring version of Your Ramblin’ Letters, looking perfectly stoic but sounding for all the world like Dave Evans.

It’s hard to imagine what the Charlotte festival will do next year to top this, but you can bet it will be worth attending to find out!

A note from photographer Bill Warren.

Before we go any further, we need to recognize some folks that didn’t get pictures, but are so important to the festival. Duffy Brown has been the evening MC for most of the 13 years that Wes has run the festival. Blair and Jennifer Massey put it all on the line. They are on-site a week early. Jen checks people in at the front gate. Blair parks the campers, prepares the whole site pre-show, and handles all the venue issues throughout the show. He coordinated security, makes sure everything is in place backstage, and then says: “If you need anything, call me.” Wes can be very proud of his staff.

Wes will probably take a day off and then start the planning for next year.

Next up for Candidpix.info is Industrial Strength in Xenia, Ohio.

Support your local music venues.

The post Billy Strings cameos at Charlotte Bluegrass Festival ’26 appeared first on Bluegrass Today.

It draws on memories of hot weather vacations, with all the sounds, smells, and activities we recall from childhood.

Fearless leader, banjo picker Sammy Shelor, shares how this song, written by Mark Rone, Frank Solesbee, and Craig Monday, came to the band.

“Summertime was sent to us by our good friend, Sherrill Blackman, who has pitched us so many great songs from different writers. It reminded me of my summers as a child, all the things I did growing up during my school vacations in my hometown and spending summers with my grandparents.

We hope it brings back memories for our fans!”

Mandolinist Adam Miller sings the lead, with further support from bandmates Jesse Smathers on guitar and harmony vocal, Mike Hartgrove on fiddle, and Kameron Keller on bass. Shelor’s bud Rod Riley adds some electric guitar for what LRB is calling its “Telegrass” sound.

You can almost taste the lemonade and watermelon.

Give it a listen.

Summertime is available now from Mountain Home Music at popular download and streaming services online, and to radio programmers via AirPlay Direct.

The post Summertime from Lonesome River Band appeared first on Bluegrass Today.

When the pandemic hit and everyone was holed up at home, the couple naturally started playing music together, and in 2023 released their duo project, Pick Your Poison. Happily, it was not a one-off, and it is now joined by Double Dose, a new album collecting their singles released over the past couple of years on Mountain Home Music, five of which have already reached the top ten on the Bluegrass Today charts.

Kristin has won IBMA Banjo Player of the Year six times and is the recipient of the Steve Martin Award for Excellence in Bluegrass and Banjo. Wayne is one of the few mandolin players to have his own signature model with Gibson Musical Instruments. You might then expect this duo to lean heavily on their considerable instrumental prowess, but instead they have carefully chosen lesser-heard songs from a variety of sources and matched each one to just the right singer. Their virtuosic picking is always there, but in a supporting role, more concerned with presenting the story of a song than with showing off hot licks.

The album starts off strong with the #1 hit Lover of the Road, featuring Woody Platt on lead vocals. Right behind it is Heath Williams’ take on Lay ‘Em Down, which started out as a Contemporary Christian Rock number, but sounds right at home as a bluegrass song.

Things Have Changed is a wonderful Harley Allen composition from the early ’80s, but you could mistake it for a missing track from the Keith Whitley era of the New South. It’s sung here by Dustin Pyrtle of IIIrd Tyme Out, who also does a great job on the hard-charging This Drinkin’ Will Kill Me, a deep cut from Dwight Yoakam’s classic Hillbilly Deluxe.

Traditional bluegrass is well-represented with a vocal version of Bully of the Town (Zack Arnold of Rhonda Vincent & the Rage on lead vocals), while Down that Road has a more modern country feel. It was written by Becky Buller and Nashville songwriter Andrew Scott Wills, with Keith Garrett (Boxcars, Blue Moon Rising) handling the lead singing.

Keith also sings lead on Louise, made famous by Bonnie Raitt, and again, the ensemble does a great job of capturing the feel of those old J.D. Crowe & the New South recordings.

Wayne contributes three original instrumentals: the foreboding Donner Pass, an uptempo Banjo Radio Bounce, and Slayton Court, a sweet way to close the album. Each of the tunes has a distinct personality, but they all show Wayne’s devotion to beautiful and well-crafted melodies.

Most of the tracks feature Cody Kilby on guitar and Kevin McKinnon on bass, with Tony Creasman adding tasteful percussion on a few. Samantha Snyder fiddles on two cuts, and Jon Stickley and Jon Weisberger each make an appearance. The album was beautifully recorded, mixed and mastered by Clay Miller at Crossroads Studios in Arden, NC.

As individuals, Wayne might be more drawn to progressive instrumental tunes and Kristin to traditional bluegrass “singing songs.” Double Dose combines the full range of their interests, showcases their many talented friends, and as with any successful couple, creates something greater than the sum of their parts. 

The post Double Dose — Benson appeared first on Bluegrass Today.

“She would teach all the children how to do the hoedown as she called it,” says Bobby. “She would get them in a circle and show them how to do it and then have one at a time jump in the circle and showcase their moves. It’s been a family staple now for years at every holiday gathering!”

With a catchy chorus, toe-tapping beat, and nice mandolin and dobro solos, the song is likely to fit in well at radio, as well as with live audiences who can join in with a “hoedown” of their own. Teddi takes the lead on the verses, while Bobby joins in with a soulful country twang on the chorus. 

Hillbilly Hoedown will be part of Bobby and Teddi’s upcoming twelve-track album from Pinecastle, alongside several other recent singles. It’s now available for radio programmers at Airplay Direct, as well as for streaming and download on a number of popular online platforms.

The post Hillbilly Hoedown from Bobby & Teddi Cyrus appeared first on Bluegrass Today.

He first appeared in bluegrass music playing bass with his father, starting in 1964, switching to guitar in 1969. As the guitar spot with the Blue Grass Boys was typically reserved for a vocalist, James begun to sing lead on a number of songs on the show, especially duets with Bill.

His most visible release with his dad was a co-bill on the album, Father & Son on Columbia Records in 1973. James left his father’s group not long after and started his own, The Midnight Ramblers. With this band he recorded three albums for the Atteiram label in Georgia.

James used to say that he never had wanted to be a performer like his dad, hoping instead to play baseball professionally. He had been a star prospect, pitching in high school, but was drafted into the Blue Grass Boys instead on a trip with his dad one summer, and sent out to play with no experience whatsoever.

Sandy Rothman shared this story about James being brought into the band.

“I first met James in June of 1964, when Bill asked me to fill in with the Blue Grass Boys on lead vocals and guitar, and banjo on some shows (sometimes both, as Bill didn’t have a steady banjo picker after Bill Keith’s departure). I was 18 and James was 23.

Although he’d been raised around the music all his life—after all, the 1946-7 band would practice in his living room when he was 5-6, as he describes in an interview with Ronnie Reno—he hadn’t learned to play anything until after Bessie Lee Mauldin left the band and he began learning the bass. He said I showed him his first guitar chords as we traveled around the South that summer. His older sister Melissa was with us on some of the tours.

James worked hard at it and developed into a fine bass and guitar player, and of course he had his natural Monroe singing voice. Many of his excellent recordings—I Haven’t Seen Mary in Years, Tall Pines, Sweet Mary and the Miles in Between, and many others—are bluegrass classics.

I’ve stayed in touch with James all these years, exchanging Christmas cards and visiting in person and by phone. His loss is a shock, as I spoke with him relatively recently during his recovery from hip replacement surgery. Unfortunately he wasn’t able to enjoy the benefits of the operation for very long. A sad farewell to an old friend.”

At some point, he began to focus more on the business side of bluegrass, being actively involved in the Bill Monroe Bluegrass Festival in Bean Blossom, IN, and is said to have launched a bluegrass magazine, Bluegrass Star, eventually purchased by Bluegrass Unlimited.

There was also a restaurant outside of Nashville called the Monroe Manor and Steakhouse Lounge, established in 1981 as a performance venue for his dad’s band. Located in a restored manor house, it served food and featured live music, primarily country and bluegrass, with seating both inside and in an adjacent orchard for larger shows.

When his father died in 1996, James took over the running of Bill’s estate, and the administration of his large musical catalog. He sold the Bill Monroe Music Park in Bean Blossom to fellow former Blue Grass Boy Dwight Dillman in 1998, who managed it until it was sold to the Voils family in 2018, who run it to this day.

We have no information about arrangements at this time, but will share should they become available publicly.

R.I.P., James Monroe.

The post James Monroe passes appeared first on Bluegrass Today.

It’s Looking Past You, written by Pat Flynn, and released by the Revival in 1987. Memorable for the wicked Béla Fleck banjo intro on the original, Frank says it left a permanent imprint on his musical soul.

“That hook is so damn catchy it never left me. I’ve been wanting to cut this one for years and we finally did. Man, it felt right.”

Dirty Kitchen went old school in the studio, tracking live in a single room to analog tape. We hear Solivan on lead vocals and mandolin, Mike Munford on banjo, Jack Dunlap on guitar and low harmonies, and Cody Brown on upright bass. The tenor vocal was sung by former bandmate Jeremy Middleton, who returned to the studio to add his part.

They bring all the energy this song requires, and it’s like a return to the ’80s hearing it again. Well done, boys!

Looking Past You is available now from popular download and streaming services online, and to radio programmers via Get It Played.

The post Looking Past You from Frank Solivan & Dirty Kitchen appeared first on Bluegrass Today.

The Charlotte Bluegrass Festival has been called “Char-Lotsa-Rain,” but this year is promising sunny and dry. Thursday was that. Sunny, breezy, and comfortable.

MC Terri Grannis welcomed everyone and brought the first band to the stage.

The first band up coined the name “TBA – To Be Announced.” Promoter Wes Pettinger pulled this band together from a group of Wes’ local friends.

Harbourtown always holds down a Thursday slot at Charlotte. They are fronted by the Marshall Bluegrass Festival promoter, Jeremie Cole. They present classic bluegrass with five of the members trading off the lead.

Full Cord is one of Michigan’s most well-known bands, led by Brian Oberlin. They present original music and are a favorite wherever they perform.

The David Mayfield Parade may be the highest energy band you will ever see. They set the audience on fire!

What does a nationally touring band do when they have an afternoon free before their evening show??? The Dan Tyminski Band breaks out the cornhole boards! Dan was the official scorekeeper. The band closed out the day with many of Dan’s popular songs on stage.

There are two more big days of music left. Del McCoury headlines Friday and Larry Sparks headlines Saturday. Head to the Eaton County Fairgrounds to see these legends.

The post Day 1 at Charlotte Bluegrass Festival 2026 appeared first on Bluegrass Today.

Though retired from touring, Doyle is still turning out quality bluegrass music, and even working a light schedule of shows with a reformed Quicksilver, made of primarily of former bandmates. Salley, who is producing the album, is likewise a student of early country and pre-bluegrass music.

The Delmore Brothers, Alton and Rabon, first performed together in 1926, and after joining the Grand Ole Opry in 1933, they recorded a string of extremely popular songs, right through to 1952 when Rabon died from lung cancer.

Billy Blue has put together 15 of the Delmores greatest songs, recorded anew by some of the brightest lights on today’s bluegrass and traditional country scene, to introduce these wonderful numbers to a new audience, only slightly reimagined for the current market. Many will be familiar, even to younger listeners, as these songs have been covered repeatedly since they were first released.

Included on the album, A Century of Strings, Stories & Songs: A Tribute to The Delmore Brothers, will be:

• Honey, I’m Ramblin’ Away – Junior Sisk & Don Rigsby 
• I’ve Got the Big River Blues – Marty Raybon & Jimmy Fortune 
• When It’s Time for the Whippoorwill to Sing – Doyle Lawson & Jerry Salley
• Gonna Lay Down My Old Guitar – Trey Hensley & Del McCoury
• Put Me on the Trail to Carolina – The Malpass Brothers
• Brown’s Ferry Blues – The SteelDrivers
• Will You Be Lonesome Too? – The Grascals (feat. Charlie McCoy)
• Field Hand Man – Wood Box Heroes
• Hillbilly Boogie – Alex Miller & Carson Peters
• The Fugitive’s Lament – Riders in the Sky
• Blue Railroad Train – Bradley Walker & Ricky Skaggs
• Life’s Too Short – The Gibson Brothers
• Blues Stay Away from Me – Chris Jones & The Night Drivers
• Bound For The Shore – Appalachian Road Show
• Sweet, Sweet Thing – Darin and Brooke Aldridge (feat. Charlie McCoy)

Lawson says that he jumped at the chance to be included in this tribute.

“I’ve been a Delmore Brothers fan for longer than I remember, and it’s an honor for me to sing When It’s Time for the Whippoorwill to Sing with Jerry. It’s a special song and it thrills me to know it’s the track that’ll be kicking off the release of this very special album.”

Salley added a bit more context to the genesis of this recording.

“When I was asked by the Athens State University Foundation to produce a tribute album to The Delmore Brothers, Doyle Lawson was the first artist I asked to sing on it. He is a lifelong Delmore Brothers fan, and I have always wanted to sing tenor to Doyle’s legendary voice. When It’s Time for the Whippoorwill to Sing was one that we have both always loved, so we chose that one for our song. It was such an honor to record this with him.”

Assisting in the studio were Jason Roller on guitar and fiddle, Justin Moses on mandolin and reso-guitar, Aaron McDaris on banjo, and Mark Burchfield on bass.

It’s a gem, just like the 1941 original. Check it out.

When It’s Time for the Whippoorwill To Sing is available now from popular download and streaming services online, and to radio programmers via Get It Played.

The post When It’s Time for the Whippoorwill To Sing from Doyle Lawson & Jerry Salley appeared first on Bluegrass Today.