Preserving The Tradition of Bluegrass Into The Future

Figuratively speaking, Stephen Mougin wears a lot of hats. (Literally, he’s nearly always seen in a black pork pie number). He’s a songwriter, producer, studio owner, radio host, solo performer, and, since 2006, he’s been singing and playing guitar with bluegrass legend Sam Bush.  But every year attendees of the International Bluegrass Music Association’s conference pack a convention hall room to see Mougin (“Mojo,” nearly everyone calls him) in a different role as he conduct

When Danny Roberts learned to play the mandolin while growing up in Kentucky, he never dreamed it would take him all over the world. “When I was coming up, my musical idols played in contests. They did it on the weekends, then went back to their regular jobs. That’s what I saw, and that’s what I wanted to do.”  He never dreamed that he could have a full-time career in music. Yet, for the past 22 years, Danny has been playing with The Grascals, a group he formed with a childho

From historic ice cream parlors to roadside frozen custard stands, these seven spots are local favorites with delightful flavors across Appalachia. Ellen’s Homemade Ice Cream — Charleston, West Virginia Address: 225 Capitol Street, Charleston, WV 25301 Website: https://www.ellensicecream.com Ellen’s has been a sweet landmark in downtown Charleston since September 1997. All of its ice cream, gelato, sorbet and sherbet are made on site from scratch, and the menu rotates seasona

Artist Lakin Fain grew up in Louisville, Kentucky, and now lives in Denver, Colorado. She has been painting her whole life. In recent months, her love of bluegrass and her talent in art have come together in a unique way that she didn’t see coming. Lakin went to college to study environmental design. “It’s a broad degree that explores production design, fabrication, and even 3D modeling in the woodshop,” she explained. It was during those classes that Lakin first started maki

When asked if she always wanted to be a violinist, Sharon Winters Bounds immediately responds with a vehement “No” and a gleeful chuckle. Both of her grandfathers and her father played the old-time style of fiddle, which is derived from traditional European dance melodies. Not all children necessarily want to follow a family tradition, and the young Sharon had no interest in being a third-generation fiddler. When an opportunity to learn classical music arose in grade school,

Hannah Harper is striving to balance raising a family with three little boys and following a musical journey as an aspiring songwriter and singer. It’s a journey that began when she was just nine years old, growing up in Southeast Missouri in a family steeped in the rich traditions of bluegrass gospel music. The nation was introduced to Hannah when she first appeared on Season 24 of American Idol  on February 2. She auditioned for judges Lionel Richie, Carrie Underwood, and L