Monthly Archives: September 2010

25th Annual Folk Arts Festival- Saturday Oct 2

Back in the 1970s a wonderful series of books came out that really either reminded us (or informed us) of several of the wonderful traditions of Appalachian culture.  These books contained interviews and photos and instructions on how to do … Continue reading

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Bluegrass and Old-time jams

One of the nice things about bluegrass and old-time music is that it is pretty easy to see it live and that is really something that is almost a core value of the music.  Those of us who play this … Continue reading

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Highlights of McConnell Library’s Appalachian Music Collection- Song of the Traveling Daughter

(Used with permission from Bret Young, photographer) Several years ago I participated in an interesting musical cultural exchange.  My wife and I went to a 4th of July picnic that marked the end of a martial arts conference and one … Continue reading

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Highlights of McConnell Library’s Appalachian Music Collection- Foggy Mountain Banjo

One of the things I want to do with this blog is to “advertise” parts of the McConnell Library Appalachian Music Collection. I was putting off the task of choosing which CD to feature first because I thought it would be a difficult choice. Once I settled into the idea that something had to be first, I asked myself what the *most important* album was to me when I first started listening to Bluegrass music. It didn’t take long for my mind to settle on……….. Continue reading

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County Sales Music

Back in the mid-to-late 1970s, far from the New River Valley when I was just starting to listen to Bluegrass music, a friend of mine gave me record catalog from a store called County Sales. I thumbed through the catalog, … Continue reading

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