“I grew up in Union, South Carolina,” she recalled, “and the first banjo I got, I was about nine. We’d only had it a month or two, and our house burned down.”   It’s the kind of memory that could have ended a childhood dream, but for Kristin Scott Benson, it simply began another story.   “The first thing that I remember well — you know, small towns can be so special. I remember how sweet the town was to us when it happened. I remember going back to school, and all these kids were bringing clothes and shoes and coats and everything, so it was that immediate, we had nothing except what we had on when we left, which was in the middle of the night.”   When you talk with Benson, she sounds exactly like the kind of person you hope a world-class musician would be: humble, thoughtful, and quietly grateful for the life she’s built around the banjo. She’s a seven-time IBMA Banjo Player of the Year, a recipient of the Steve Martin Prize for Excellence in Banjo and Bluegrass, and a 2024 inductee into the American Banjo Hall of Fame. But none of that has changed how she speaks — with honesty and warmth, grounded in her work and her faith. She’s a lightning-quick picker who’s a teacher at heart; Benson holds herself with the calm and grace of a legend who shrugs at high praise while also embracing gratitude.   It’s also that sense of kindness she experienced after the fire — people showing up when you need them most — that may reveal the reason she’s spent so much of her life giving back through teaching, passing on what she’s learned with the same generosity she once received.   “I probably played the first song on the banjo maybe two or three months after I started. And by six months, I was ready to play in jam sessions and that sort of thing. I was about 13 when I got a full-size real banjo and started playing. Once I started playing the banjo, I just became obsessed.”   Her obsession became a lifelong career. In an industry that has historically underrepresented women in instrumental roles, Benson has more than earned her place alongside today’s most outstanding performers of bluegrass. Her technical mastery rivals anyone holding a five-string today — male or female — and her command of tone and timing has become a benchmark for aspiring players. She has shattered stereotypes not by talking about them, but by playing circles around them. Additionally, she’s one of the most respected teachers in bluegrass, known for her patience, her encouragement, and her ability to meet each student where they are.   “If I’m home for the full length, I teach Monday through Thursday, anywhere 15 to 20 hours a week,” said Benson of her typical teaching time. “However, with the scheduling and the follow up work, if you teach 20 hours a week, you’re probably spending 25 hours a week on it. But that has become special to me because like any other job, you get better at it. And most people burn out teaching. They can’t sustain that for years and years. The way I’ve sustained it is by caring about these people. You want them to progress and do well, so you care about the person and then suddenly it’s a labor of love instead of just a labor.”   It’s a simple philosophy, but one that explains her endurance. She doesn’t see teaching as routine or transactional; it’s relational. Every student becomes a story, every lesson a small act of faith in someone’s potential. Conversely, everyone has a challenge to overcome, and the love of the craft has to emerge for the talent to surface.   “For my adult students, it tends to be memory,” said Benson of the common issues that arise in instruction. “That’s the toughest part. For the kids, it really just depends on them. If they’re really motivated, they can just soar right away. And I’ve had some who have done that. They’re phenomenal musicians and they’re gonna set the world on fire as they continue to age and get better. But I just say to mom and dad, can you make yourself love something? Even if the kid would like to love it, that would make their parents happy, but maybe they don’t love it. You have to trust that we can’t make  ourselves love something, or dislike something we love, so you just trust that instinct. What is the desire of their heart? Just put the energy behind that.”   As the longtime banjo player for The Grascals — one of the most awarded and beloved bands in modern bluegrass — Benson has been a cornerstone of the group’s sound since 2008. Her crisp rolls, impeccable timing, and emotional restraint define much of the band’s signature style, anchoring the music with a sense of purpose and joy. In a band filled with powerhouse players, she’s never simply “the female banjo player.” She’s the banjo player — and many of her peers would say, one of the finest working today. As for band fatigue, she said that one can start to play on autopilot if you’re not the type that improvises every night and changes the set list daily, so on those few occasions, she can reset with good old band shenanigans.   “Our set list is relatively the same with a few changes over time, but I think the elements that I respond to, the camaraderie with the guys in the band personally, that can be fun every night, because it’s different every night. Somebody messed up, and you can get a rise out of that, and take great enjoyment in their failure (laughs). That kind of fun stuff that goes on in bands where we give each other a hard time, that stuff helps it stay fresh.”   Her humor is as sharp as her timing, keeping her grounded through the endless repetition of touring life. Even in routine, she finds community.   “I’m incredibly grateful for those awards. They’re a mystery to me. They truly are a mystery to me. But I’m grateful and will very humbly give the credit to, I’m a Christian. I just really thank the Lord for those kinds of blessings in my life. But ultimately, it’s just about playing the banjo, and I am so blessed that Wayne is my husband, and we’re professional musicians. We have steady work. There’s always a steady stream of what’s next.”   That partnership has extended far beyond marriage — it’s a musical collaboration of equals. Kristin and Wayne’s acclaimed duo album Pick Your Poison  showcased their intricate interplay and shared musical intuition. Their chemistry on that record, as well as on stage, reflects both their technical precision and their deep personal connection.   “I taught lessons today,” Benson revealed. “As soon as you and I hang up I’m proofreading tabs for a book that I co-wrote with Bill Evans called 25 Great Bluegrass Banjo Solos . It’s amazing, and I think that each player gets 25 players, 25 solos, and they get about 2,500 words a piece. So this was a big endeavor that’s finally about to come out.”   Even when she’s home, she’s creating, writing and editing, but gratitude keeps her from feeling jaded, as does the look in a student’s eye when they really just want to play. She knows that look better than anyone, but more as a player than a teacher.   “Honestly, I can say this, and I’ve said it before, that I’ve never picked up the banjo and not wanted to play it. I’ve certainly not wanted to get in the car and drive all night to meet the band at four in the morning. I’ve certainly wanted to be home more or wanted to be gone more, in some stages of life. All of those things ebb and flow, but I’ve never in my life picked up the banjo and not wanted to play it.”   Her voice softens when she talks about her older students — people learning music for the joy of it, not the spotlight. For Kristin, that’s where the meaning lives: not trophies or accolades, but in the connection between players, and between player and instrument.   “The kids are special to me even at the camps I teach. I think after you become a mom, that’s just how the world works for you. You see kids with a totally different lens. But I just think they’re so precious, and when you get a kid who’s interested in banjo, there’s automatically a kinship there because it’s not a popular thing to be interested in. Also, I have a heart for the very young and the very old. I’ve had students who started playing banjo in their sixties and seventies. And I love that too, because first of all, neurologically, it’s incredibly healthy. It’s like learning a language. So rather than deciding that you’re gonna start learning German to stay sharp or doing the New York Times crossword puzzle, you can play an instrument.”   As for her legacy in this bluegrass world, Benson is, as expected, much more modest than a player as talented as she should be.   “I know where I stand musically, and I’m not the kind of generational player that’s gonna stamp the instrument indelibly, like Bela Fleck or Earl Scruggs,” she said. “I think the most important legacy I guess you would say that I might have is how I’ve been able to pour that into students, because if they can play the banjo and enjoy it, and I have a part in it that’s pretty special: just affecting people’s lives by enabling them to play this instrument that I love so much.”

If you've attended the IBMA awards over the past several years, you've heard Katy Daley's voice. She announces the nominees for the annual awards show. But last year, she stepped from behind the microphone to the spotlight when she was inducted into the IBMA Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame. When she started working on the radio, Katy had never dreamed of such accolades. The Washington, DC native went to college in Brevard, North Carolina. "Everyone there was born with an instrument in their hand, and they were all dancers and cloggers. On the weekends, students without dates spent time in the dorm lobby for hootenannies. They didn't call them that, but it's essentially what they were." She returned to Washington to earn a BA in communications. Katy says she had never heard of the term "bluegrass" before returning to Washington. Looking back, she says her natural progression towards bluegrass began when her dad sang songs to Katy and her brother before bed. "He sang gruesome songs like 'Wreck of the Old '97' and 'The Prisoner Song,' yet we never had bad dreams. By the way, 'The Prisoner Song' was the first million-selling country music song." When her father was stationed in Okinawa while in the military, Katy listened to "The Rice Patty Roundup" on Armed Forces Radio. "A song came on one day – 'Pike County Breakdown.' It was like a bolt of lightning," says Katy. "I had never heard anything like it." After college, Katy listened to Gary Henderson's Saturday morning bluegrass show on WAMU. Washington had a thriving bluegrass scene, and Katy volunteered to compile and announce the area's concerts, club dates, and festivals on Gary's show. That volunteer gig launched her career in broadcasting. Each thing Katy did led her to the next thing, and over the years, her storied broadcasting career has taken her to extraordinary heights. She took over the 10 p.m. to midnight spot at WAMU and then alternated the afternoon drive-time show with Jerry Gray. In addition to getting to know the community of bluegrass musicians and fans through her work at the radio station and volunteering at events, she began a lifelong practice of teaching others. She encouraged fans to share their personal record collections and taught those interested how to run a control board and host a show on-air. "I have taught a lot of people how to do radio over the years." Katy left public broadcasting in 1979, moving to WMZQ-AM/FM, Washington's commercial country station. In her nearly two decades there, she worked as an overnight DJ, program director of the AM station, public affairs director, and member of the on-air morning team. In 1991, she produced a documentary on Arlington National Cemetery that received an honorable mention at the International Radio Festival in New York. In 1994, she won the Achievement in Radio (AIR) award for best mid-length interview of the year. In 2006, Katy returned to WAMU's 24-hour streaming station, bluegrasscountry.org . The following year, she took over the weekday morning show and remained there for a decade. She followed that with a writing gig for Bluegrass Today  and launched the Bluegrass Stories  podcast with Howard Parker. A Lifetime Member of the IBMA, Katy is a 2008 Leadership Bluegrass class graduate. She was named the IBMA Broadcast Personality of the Year in 2009 and 2011. In 2019, she picked up the IBMA Distinguished Achievement Award. She was also awarded the 2019 and 2020 IBMA Liner Notes of the Year honor for her contribution to Epilogue: A Tribute to John Duffy  for Smithsonian Folkways, and as the sole writer for Rebel Records' re-release of Seldom Scene Recorded Live at the Cellar Door . She recently joined the Board of the IBMA's Bluegrass Foundation. With a mission to build a brighter future for bluegrass music, the Foundation "helps create a bluegrass legacy by supporting programs and projects that focus on bluegrass music-related arts and culture, education, literary work, and historic preservation," according to their website. It's an organization Katy is passionate about. "We award numerous scholarships and grants. I can see that it genuinely makes a difference. I encourage everyone to visit bluegrassfoundation.org to learn more about the organization. While she may be retired from radio, Katy is as busy as ever. She has learned to play the banjo and is now taking guitar lessons. In addition to her work on the Bluegrass Foundation Board, she started the Katy Daley Broadcast Media/Sound Engineering Scholarship with her husband, Bill Brown. "When our son finished his academic career, we found ourselves with a little extra money, so we started the scholarship. We want to help those interested in learning more about broadcasting or sound engineering. There are plenty of schools for musicians, but the sound engineers are a real partner with the musicians. And the broadcasters play their music for the world to hear. For bluegrass to be successful, it takes three things: music, business, and community. You can't have one without the others."

If you happen to pick up a copy of the album Ghost Stories  by the indie-country group The Whitmore Sisters, brace yourself for some soul-stirring sibling harmony! Three years after their debut together, Eleanor and Bonnie Whitmore say they are still recording, writing, and playing venues together—despite having no plans for a follow-up album. “We have this bi-monthly residency at Gold Diggers here in Los Angeles [venue] called Mastersons & Friends, ” explains Eleanor. The sisters enjoy performing with some of their favorite artists, including Eleanor’s husband and music partner, Chris Masterson [The Mastersons]. “We have various guests join us each time. Some of the big highlights have been Jackson Browne, Dave Alvin, Shooter Jennings, and many others.” “We both have a lot of other projects outside of [The Whitmore Sisters],” shares the duo’s vocalist, keyboardist, and fiddle player. “I have been doing some session work in and around Los Angeles. I recently did a taping with Elvis Costello for Words and Music. ” Younger sister Bonnie says she is also busy with session work. “I have been playing a lot of bass, which is nice! I work on solo stuff when not playing with Kelly Willis and Scrappy Jud Newcomb.” The Austin singer-songwriter has added an all-star tribute celebrating the anniversary of Wilco’s AM  to her list. “My ADHD has been triggered lately from bouncing around from so many different projects,” she laughs. The sisters agree that today’s music business is a challenge. “I don’t think that live music has fully recovered after COVID,” observes Eleanor. “I think many of our fans, especially the older ones, have gone on to different habits. They are watching TV shows instead of going to clubs because COVID is still going around.” Bonnie adds that records are not making money for performers. “I don’t know the exact number, but I know it’s over four thousand spins [plays] on Spotify that equates to fifteen dollars—not for one song but for an entire album.” Prices have gone up for manufacturing and distribution. “We have to buy our records from the record company,” shares Eleanor. “The last time we checked, the prices have gone up for ordering our own music. There is usually a price per unit in your contract—that’s pretty standard across the board.” “You hope that you sell it all and didn’t order too much; otherwise, you’re sitting on it,” says Eleanor about printing CDs. “We have to figure out how to make creating music more affordable, or people aren’t going to be able to do it for a living.” Born and raised in Denton, Texas, the Whitmore Sisters, both licensed pilots, share an upbringing filled with aviation and music. “In our family, you have to sing, play an instrument, and fly an airplane,” jokes Eleanor. “Dad is a pilot and still teaches. Mom is also a pilot.” “I flew solo when I was sixteen and got my license when I was seventeen,” Eleanor recalls. “I was soloing when I was sixteen,” shares Bonnie, “but I didn’t get my license until I was in my thirties.” “It’s kind of fascinating because our parents have drastically different styles and always tried to find songs they could do together,” Eleanor shares about their musical parents. “Joan Baez seemed to be a good meeting point for them.” Bonnie joins in, “Gordon Lightfoot was another favorite! I always found it interesting that when we were young, we didn’t know the songs our dad sang were by other artists like Bob Dylan.” Eleanor and Bonnie both credit their mom for their singing. “I wouldn’t have my classical training if it wasn’t for my mom,” explains Eleanor, sharing that her mom is an opera singer. “I don’t think we would sing like we do without our mom’s influence.” Bonnie had no desire to play the same instrument. “I could tell at a very young age how talented my older sister was at violin. I didn’t want to be in direct competition with my sister.” The youngest of the two recalls turning the violin upside down. “I would play it more like a cello. My dad eventually put me on bass guitar in his band.” Eleanor and Bonnie agree that they won’t repeat their debut album when the time comes. “We don’t want to recreate the same record,” explains Bonnie. “We don’t know what the next record is going to be, but we want the creative efforts that we have together to continue.”

When Missy Raines is playing on stage, she doesn’t just want people to hear her songs; she wants them to feel them. Each song she plays has special meaning, from the songs she has written or the ones she has carefully chosen. Love and Trouble , her most recent album, with her band, Allegheny, is described on her website as “views from the highest peaks of her native West Virginia and from the deepest hollers of heartbreak. The ten songs come to life with people, places, and stories that have caught her heart during her five-decade journey with bluegrass and beyond.” Growing up in Short Gap, West Virginia, Missy Raines’ parents were avid bluegrass fans and supporters. “They listened to early country music and bluegrass before I was born,’ she says. My dad bought a bass for himself – he wanted to learn to play.” He wasn’t the only one. Missy played other instruments, but she learned to play the bass when she was ten years old. She learned to play from neighbors and friends, and she participated in jam sessions at bluegrass festivals. “I have always been attracted to the bass,” she says. “When I played guitar, I didn’t feel like I was a contributor,” Missy still plays her daddy’s bass. By the time she was 12 or 13, Missy began playing with bands in the area. “I played in bars where I wasn’t old enough to go to on my own, but we always had folks looking out for us.” She continued to play throughout junior high and high school. “I played just about any gig that opened up,” she laughs. “Sometimes I was thrown into a situation where I had to learn on the fly, and that helped me craft my ear for music.” She also had some strong mentors along the way. When she graduated from high school, Missy knew without a doubt that music was what she wanted to do. “I naively thought it would be more of the same as what I had been doing throughout high school.” She left West Virginia and moved to Charlottesville, Virginia, where she spent ten years. She played for four years with Bill Evans’ band, Cloud Valley. “I learned so much while I was there, and I gained so much experience.” Wanting to further her music career, Missy made the move to Nashville on May 12, 1990. She recorded her first album, My Place in the Sun , in 1998, the same year she first won the Bass Player of the Year award from IBMA. Since then, Missy has received the award nine more times – the most awarded bass player in the industry- and she has recorded five more albums under her own name, and many more for other artists, including duo albums with Jim Hurst. She is a GRAMMY nominee for her 2018 album, Royal Traveller . “I started writing more seriously around 2011 or 2012. On my album, Inside Out , I wrote the title track and also another instrumental for my dad called ‘Ides of March.’” I wrote the song 'Inside Out,' an instrumental for my dad. Words took longer for me, but now I try to write all the time.” Missy says she is inspired by anything and everything. “It can be something I see, so I’ll make a note. Or it may be a phrase, a sentence, or even a word. I love to listen to people talk. I think that’s what’s resonating with me most at this time. Often, I write about what is on my heart and mind that I’d like to pursue.” Missy is inspired by people who creatively tell their stories. “I enjoy Tim O’Brien and Sierra Hull – both are doing great writing. I’m also listening to an artist from Kentucky, S.G. Goodman. She is not a bluegrass artist, but she has strong Appalachian roots.” Goodman received the 2023 Emerging Artist of the Year award from the Americana Music Association. “I’m so inspired by her writing. It resonates strongly about what she believes in, and it’s a very real look at life.” Teaching others her craft has been important to Missy. “I taught for the first time around 1998, and I love it. I have taught at various camps and workshops for years. In 2010, I was asked to start an online bass school for ArtistWorks.” Missy created the curriculum and likes the fact that those classes have a much larger reach. “I have students all over the world, and I love to help them and see them so happy.” She is currently an artist-in-residence at East Tennessee State University. It’s a 250-mile drive from her home to the campus in Johnson City. “I’ll be doing that for the next year,” she says. It’s been a wonderful opportunity for me to stretch myself, which is always a good thing.” Seeing musicians she taught as a child grow into artists who keep growing and learning is rewarding for Missy. “It always surprises me.” Currently, Missy is getting ready to “try to be creative for what’s next.” She is actively touring and teaching. “I’m also writing, sometimes at home, but I always like to go to other places to write.” A member of the first class of IBMA’s Leadership Bluegrass, Missy says that experience gave her the ability to understand what other people at her level are doing. “I think it creates a mindset of excellence. It’s something I highly recommend.”

She’s an award-winning singer, songwriter, teacher, and bluegrass ambassador. The multi-talented Donna Ulisse has had a career in music that has spanned decades, and her talent, perseverance, and passion have earned her respect in the world of bluegrass and country music. Born and raised in Hampton, Virginia, Donna grew up surrounded by music. “My dad loved the Osborne Brothers, and I have vivid memories of him flying down country roads when I was very young, singing at the top of his lungs.” Another childhood memory goes back to when Donna was just three years old. “I grew up in a large Italian family that celebrated everything. I remember my dad hired a band for a party they had, and when the band took a break, I climbed up on the stage and began singing ‘Take This Hammer’ into the microphone. The band returned and started playing backup for me.” By the time she was ten or 11, Donna says her dad bought a steakhouse. “He said he did it so I’d have a place to sing.” She sang on weekends with a house band. When she was 15, Donna began performing with Jimmy Caldwell. “I cut my teeth with that band.” Donna credits her high school choir teacher, the late Barbara Davis, for teaching her to sing correctly. “She recognized my talent, and because of her, I learned so much that I still use when I perform today.” Donna recalls when Davis surprised her at a performance in Hampton. “When I realized she was in the audience, I broke down in tears on stage. I was finally able to tell her how much I appreciated what she taught me.” Songwriting is Donna’s passion, and in 2014, she published a book, The Songwriter in Me: Snapshots of My  Creative Process . “It took me 45 years to learn songwriting, and it felt great to pass that knowledge on.” The book still sells well, and now Donna is working on a follow-up. “It’s about 95% finished. This book is a little more intense – it gets into the nuts and bolts of writing.” When she was a child, Donna wanted to be a teacher. “I used to play school with my three younger brothers. I always thought I’d love to be a teacher, but I loved music more.” Today, she combines those skills with the songwriting workshops she holds at her “Wee Farm” in Lebanon, Tennessee, inspiring a new generation of songwriters and musicians. Donna is married to Rick Stanley, whom she met when she was 15. “Because I was my dad’s only daughter, he went with me everywhere. I was playing at a talent show, and Rick was the bass player in the band. I was watching him, and my dad asked why I was staring at that boy. I told him that I was going to marry him and iron his pants.” While their paths crossed fairly often, Donna was not on Rick’s radar until she was about 20. Today, the couple writes songs together, and Rick plays in Donna’s band. The couple moved to Nashville shortly after marrying, and Donna got a deal with Atlantic Records. Her debut album, Trouble at the Door , was released in 1991. She has since released many more albums that showcase her love of narrative and tradition. “I’ll do a cover from time to time, but it has to be a song that has special meaning to me.” Donna says she writes many of her songs when visiting her mother-in-law’s cabin in the Clinch Mountains. “Sitting in that cabin on Honey Camp Road, there isn’t much else to do. There is no cable TV, no cell service, and I am not a big hiker. So, when everyone is gone, I write about what I see. I write a lot about mountains. It’s a great place to work and I’m always inspired there.” Her peers have recognized Donna’s work, and she has received many awards over the years. She received her first International Bluegrass Music Association award for Songwriter of the Year in 2016, followed by the 2017 IBMA Song of the Year with “I Am a Drifter,” co-written with Marc Rossi and recorded by Volume Five. Donna is as busy as ever. She signed with Turnberry Records last fall. “I’m working on a new project now,” she says. “It’s my first project for Turnberry and the first project I’ve self-produced. That experience has made me realize what a luxury it is to have a producer sitting behind the glass.” The project will be released in Spring 2026. In the meantime, Donna is busy starting a new publishing company with Doyle Lawson. They are co-COO’s of Tall Oaks Publishing, under the Turnberry umbrella. (Look for more information in the February issue of The Bluegrass Standard .) “We are super excited about it,” she says.

Almost nine years after recording her Grammy-nominated album North by South , Claire Lynch, a three-time IBMA Female Vocalist of the Year Award winner, is back with new songs. “This project is all original. I have either written solo or co-written every song on the album, which is something I have never done,” shares the singer during a recent interview. “I started co-writing when I signed with Polygram Music Publishing on Music Row, and later on with Universal Music Publishing,” recalls Lynch, who was hired as a staff writer by both companies. “When I entered the Nashville world of writing, co-writing was just a thing we all did.” Traveling between the U.S. and Canada left the singer little time for anything else, especially recording, says Lynch, who has been out of the spotlight. “I was touring, and I had two bands. I had a U.S. band and a Canadian band because I had moved to Toronto. It was incredibly difficult to tour in two bands. It was wonderful but tiring.” Like most artists, she was affected by the pandemic. “As for COVID, we had longer restrictions than in the U.S. We were out of commission for three years,” remembers Lynch, who relocated to Ontario with her husband. Lynch hopes to release the album by the end of 2025. “Fans have been asking for more music, plus I have been working with wonderful songwriters. I felt that I had an obligation,” explains Lynch. “I also recorded it as a treat for myself.” [laughs] Lynch feels that touring to promote the album is unnecessary. “I honestly don’t see the point, because I’m not pushing a big career or trying to get tour dates. I’m like, here is my record! “I will warn you that several songs on the album are swing,” shares the former Tennessean. “It’s something I feel, after all these years, I have the privilege of doing. I had people ask me to do a whole swing album for years, but I wasn’t able to because the record company didn’t want me to. “It’s still a Claire Lynch record,” reveals the veteran singer-songwriter. “It’s a mixture—I would call it mostly Americana. There’s gospel, but there are a lot of original songs.” Lynch, who traveled to Ben Surratt’s studio in Nashville to record, enjoyed reconnecting with friends. “It was great! I got to work with Missy Raines, who played with me for many years. It was a wonderful reunion being with her again. And my old bandmates, Jim Hurst and Matt Wingate, were there too. It was like a party! I think listeners are going to be able to feel that on the tracks.” Not all of the record was recorded in Nashville, explains Lynch, who joined members of her Canadian band—Shane Cook, Joe Phillips, and Darrin Schott—at Casa Wroxton Studios in Toronto. “I also have Andrew Collins, who is a very renowned mandolin player up here [Canada], and Don Rooke,” adding, “He is a lap steel/dobro player but plays alternative music.” Although she misses the people in Nashville, Lynch admits she is happy to be in Canada. “In Ontario, we don’t have as many bugs! I’m in the city, so I have never seen a snake up here [laughs]. I do like the big city. There are also millions of people here with different ethnicities, plus the policemen are friendly. It’s a relaxed society, which is refreshing!” She feels welcomed in Canada. “I found that Canadians appreciate and accept Southerners with a sweet kind of respect.” Passing the torch to a new generation, Lynch likes the direction in which younger musicians are taking the music. “I’m behind them one hundred percent! They are doing cutting-edge stuff, like we [The Front Porch String Band] were in our time. The older people wanted us to keep it their way, without innovation.” Lynch wants to continue writing music. “I would like to stay in touch with friends and fans. I would be happy to pitch songs to other people. As far as money is concerned, there isn’t a whole lot left for songwriters, but as far as the pleasure of sharing, I would like to keep doing it.”

While she’s half of the award-winning duo Kenny and Amanda Smith, Amanda is a powerhouse on her own. A native of Davisville, W. Va., she has been singing since she was eight. “I sang in church. My mama always sang, so I sang with her. My daddy got me an autoharp that I played and sang to, and my mama encouraged me to sing in church, so I did.” By the time she was in junior high, Amanda had won talent competitions and was singing at local events. “I learned to play guitar in high school,” she says. “I’m fortunate because my parents listened to all kinds of music, so I was exposed to a lot early on.” Amanda’s first taste of bluegrass was playing guitar and singing at an auction barn where folks picked in the parking lot. But the person who really got her attention was Alison Krauss. “I was driving home from work and heard her sing ‘New Fool’ on the radio. I went straight to the mall and bought the CD. I was mesmerized.” She started attending bluegrass festivals with her dad in Ohio, Kentucky, and West Virginia. She met her husband, Kenny, in 1995 at a Lonesome River Band concert. ”I looked up and said, ‘That’s not Tim Austin.’” It was Kenny, and he got Amanda’s attention. “My mom encouraged me to give him my cassette.” The cassette was a demo tape that had her phone number on it. “I gave it to him and told him I’d like his feedback. He called me the next morning.” Kenny was in the studio cutting his first album with Lonesome River Band, so the couple didn’t start dating until a month later. “I remember our first date. We went to the movies, then to my parents' house. We sat on the couch and neither of us knew what to talk about. I finally asked if he wanted to pick, and he said yes.” They married on November 16, 1996, and they’ve been picking together ever since. Kenny and Amanda sang in churches, and when they made a CD for family and friends, WDVX radio station and soon other DJs began to play it. Without trying, they were on the charts at #26. “We decided that maybe that was our sign to get serious about a band,” laughs Amanda. Now they are “nine or ten” albums in and still going. “We are working on a new one now. We have half the album cut and we’re hoping to get the rest done early this year.” Kenny and Amanda have their own record label. “We record at Gat3 Studio in Charlotte, North Carolina. We’ve cut most of our albums there.” Choosing the material for an album is one of Amanda’s favorite things to do. “I try to pick songs that match our sound. We can listen to a song and tell if it’s right for us. Lyrics are a strong driver, and for me, the melody is important because I’m a singer. We are so grateful that we’ve had songwriters write songs for us. That is something special.” Amanda says Whitney Houston inspires her. “I can’t listen to her albums without crying. She is my all-time favorite vocalist. She sang with such emotion.” Other artists who inspire Amanda are Alison Krauss, Rhonda Vincent (“she has a great work ethic”), and Dale Ann Bradley (“she is always so kind and encouraging”). “And I can’t forget Donna Ulisse, who is so talented. She is also a good friend.” Other artists have been supportive over the years, including Del McCoury (“he is so kind to us”) and Russell Moore (“what a singer”). Andrea Roberts has also been a great supporter. “One of my first albums was with her band, Petticoat Junction. I was fortunate that I got to play a show with them.” Amanda’s career highlight was when she was nominated for IBMA Best Female Vocalist for the first time. “Kenny and I found out we were pregnant with our daughter, Annabelle, after thinking it may not be possible. I kind of forgot about the nomination because I was excited about the pregnancy. On awards night, we sat with Barry Bales and his wife, Aliceson. Barry leaned over and wished me good luck. I laughed and said I hadn’t even written a speech. I was just thrilled to be considered.” When she won, Amanda accidentally let the secret out on stage when she said she was excited for their baby to come. Amanda Smith, known for her powerful and expressive voice, brought her unique style to the partnership with Kenny. Together, their work pushes boundaries in the best ways while continuing to honor classic bluegrass traditions.

“Christmas Time’s A-Comin’” says the granddaddy of Bluegrass holiday songs. And it seems to be a-comin’ sooner each year. As I write this, the first carol hasn’t fa-la-la-ed on the radio. But stores already have hauled out the holly, trimmed the trees, and tempted us with seasonal samples of fruitcake and candy. That’s put me in the mood to track down stories behind a few of my favorite Bluegrass Christmas songs. I once thought some of the more familiar tunes could be traced back to frontier days, but many were created in the mid-20 th century.   “Christmas Time’s A-Comin,’” originally recorded by Bill Monroe in 1951, was written by Benjamin “Tex” Logan, a Texas fiddler with a side gig at Bell Labs. That’s “Doctor Logan,” who earned his Ph.D. in electrical engineering from Columbia University and did research in digital audio. I’m relieved that his level of “day job” achievement isn’t a requirement to be a Yuletide tunesmith. Another favorite Christmas song is “Beautiful Star of Bethlehem.” Surely the Wise Men were humming that one on their way to the manger! Nope, again it’s a 20 th  century creation—with a barn rather than a stable in its backstory. Robert Fisher Boyce, a Middle Tennessee dairy farmer, was also a songwriter and shape-note singer. A house full of children wasn’t the best place to concentrate, so he headed to his barn to write “Beautiful Star” in 1938. The Stanley Brothers were the first to record what’s still one of the most popular Bluegrass carols. Stories Old and New The holiday season is a time for memories of home and family. Bluegrass Hall of Fame writer Paul Williams put a lot of those images into “Old Fashioned Christmas.” He told me that he’d just gotten out of the service in 1957 when Jimmy Martin invited him to spend Christmas with the Martin family in Sneedville, Tennessee. After the holidays, on a snowy car ride to Detroit, Paul wrote what became his first song as a member of Jimmy Martin and the Sunny Mountain Boys. Joe Mullens and the Radio Ramblers released their own version in 2022, featuring Paul Williams doing the recitation. The Nativity naturally inspires memorable songs of the season. Donna Ulisse released “All The Way To Bethlehem” in 2012, a concept album that’s led to annual live performances across the country. She and husband Rick Stanley and other co-writers created each song from the viewpoint of a different character in the Christmas story. Donna says her favorite is probably the title cut, a conversation between Mary and Joseph that Donna wrote with Kerry and Lynn Chater. During the nine days of a brutal trip on the back of a donkey, Donna says, Mary’s faith never wavered that they’d make it “All The Way to Bethlehem.” What’s going on in songwriters’ lives can put a personal stamp on even the most familiar story. In a writing session with Sue C. Smith and Lee Black, Jerry Salley mentioned to his co-writers that his daughter was expecting her first child. The writers then focused on other parents who were preparing to welcome a newborn more than 2000 years ago. The song “Getting Ready for a Baby” was recorded by the Oak Ridge Boys in 2012 and by Bluegrass group Volume Five as well as Jerry Salley. War and Peace on Earth Some of the most moving Christmas tunes contrast happy holiday memories with wartime loneliness and hardship. That explains why “I’ll Be Home For Christmas,” recorded in 1943 by Bing Crosby, was the most requested song at USO shows in World War II. It remains a standard that’s been covered by many Bluegrass artists. Bluegrass writers also have tapped into the theme of conflict in what’s meant to be the season of peace on earth. In Tony Trischka’s “Christmas Cheer (This Weary Year”), Civil War soldiers try to keep the spirit alive during a break in the fighting. There are games, better rations, and even a stocking gift for the drummer boy. But soon, “a battle looms, the war resumes.” It’s a reminder that “Christmas cheer this weary year’s not like the last, you know. But hopefully by next we’ll be united with our families back home.” Paula Breedlove and Mark “Brink” Brinkman look at the same war through civilian eyes in “Christmas in Savannah,” recorded by Dale Ann Bradley. At the end of Sherman’s March to the Sea in 1864, the Union General tells President Lincoln that he’s “presenting as a Christmas gift the City of Savannah.” Understandably, starving local citizens weren’t in a festive mood. The siege had cut off supplies to the war-torn town until “Yankee Santas” from Michigan “came round with food and fresh provisions on wagons that were pulled . . . by little Christmas reindeer that looked a lot like mules.” At an IBMA song circle, I heard Dawn Kenney and David Morris sing their “Bells of Home,” which was recorded by the group Circa Blue. This new-to-me song is set “somewhere in Belgium” during World War II. On a snowy Christmas Eve during the Battle of the Bulge, a soldier dreams of holidays spent with family. Though he believes “some things are worth fighting for . . . like every soldier in this foxhole tonight, I miss the Bells of Home.” That song connects with me because it could have been the story of my father-in-law, Bill Scarbrough, who fought in that battle. Not long after, he was badly wounded and triaged with the dead. Then a passing medic noticed some slight movement and saved his life. I’d like to think that Tennessee farm boy soldier was called back by the Bells of Home.

Dig Deep is a unique and powerful force in the roots world with a hard-edged sound far beyond bluegrass. All the band members come from a punk music background, but band spokesman Alex Dalnodar says he got into bluegrass when he walked into a tavern and heard the 357 String Band. “Joseph Huber in 357 is an endless well of inspiration. We would not exist as a band if they had never existed.” The Stevens Point, Wisconsin-based band formed in 2015. “Stevens Point has a vibrant music scene. We bonded over the shared inspiration of traditional bluegrass and the love of rock n’ roll,” says Alex. “We have combined decades of hard gigging in the punk/metal scene.” The members of Dig Deep all left a cow punk band called The Ditchrunners. “We played a lot of country cover stuff. But we became a unit and started writing together.” The members re-formed, and the only change was the bass player. They adopted the name Dig Deep, and now they play regionally, in roadhouses, local bars, and festivals, but they have done a coast-to-coast tour and have been talking about playing abroad. “We did a tour with Steve'n Seagulls, who did AC/DC covers. We would really like to do more stuff like that.” Attending a Dig Deep show is an energizing experience. Much more than a string band show, Dig Deep is known for its boisterous performances. The Milwaukee Record described them as “the bluegrass equivalent to a ‘dogs playing poker’ painting. It’s casual, but still professional and friendly, but also very metal,” and “foot-stomping rhythm, sing-along harmonies, and infectious mandolin and banjo picking.” Members of the band include Alex (guitar/vocals), Oscar Noetzel (banjo), Aaron von Barron (bass), and Bob Weigandt (mandolin). The release of their album, Heavy Heart, coincided with the COVID pandemic, which trashed their plans for a tour. Other albums include Live in Denver(11.121.24), Lair of Hodag (2024), and Dig Deep (2015). The Lotta Morgan is an album released on vinyl in September 2017. The songs on the album chronicle the murder of a beloved film actress in Hurley, Wisconsin, during the great Northwoods mining boom. A description of the album on discogs.com says, “with characteristic vision, craft, and clout, the four-piece group firmly establishes their ground outside the realm of conventional Americana while exploring sonic and literary territory that plumbs the depths of power and weight.” Alex says, “It’s a noteworthy release.” According to Alex, 75% of what they play are original tunes. They dropped two albums last year, so touring has been a priority this year. “We definitely have some songs brewing,” says Alex. “We may try to get into the studio this winter. The plan is to finish a new album in the spring and release it next summer.” The band hosts a music festival in Stevens Point each February called Tip-Up Pike Jam. “My family does it, and yes, it is an outdoor festival in Wisconsin,” says Alex, “It has an ice fishing tournament, live music, and more, and a lot of people from the bluegrass community turn out. We raise money for a local non-profit called Jessie’s Wish.” The festival celebrated its seventh year this year. Check the Tip-Up Pike Jam Facebook Page for the 2026 festival dates. To get a taste of Dig Deep, click here  for a video of their tune, “Heavy Heart,” the title song from their 2020 album.

Just a few years out of Berklee College of Music, brother and sister Elisha and Aila Wildman, performing as The Wildmans, seem like fresh new faces on the roots music scene. But owing to the vibrant, legendary old-time music scene around Floyd, Va., where they grew up, fiddling, singing, and strumming have always been part of their DNA.   “We grew up kind of going to the Floyd Country store every Friday night for a really long time,” says Aila. “They do the Friday night jamboree where all the old timer musicians kind of come out and play. That was definitely what got us into playing music.”   “The other aspect of the old-time music scene in Floyd is all these fiddle conventions that are unique to this region,” Eli explains. “I remember going to the Galax Fiddlers Convention--Aila must have been five years old and I was seven--and that was the first time we saw a mandolin in person. And we continued going to other conventions like Fries, Elk Creek, Mount Airy, and Clifftop. And that was hugely inspiring to us. So it's a kind of community that we got to know, and also gave us something to work towards, to learn a song and be able to play it in front of a bunch of people on stage.”   Rather than preserving the traditional sounds of their native region on their new album, Longtime Friend , The Wildmans instead imaginatively combine their acoustic roots and their Berklee College experiences to create music that defies limits and labels. Aila’s vibrant, authentic fiddling combines electric guitar, evocative percussion, and the siblings’ blood harmonies on compelling original songs, old fiddle tunes, and striking covers, including two Graham Parsons numbers. It’s a different sound from their first album, which more closely reflected their traditional music upbringing.   “This one feels like a huge growth and representation of ourselves musically coming from all our time at Berklee and just kind of growing,” says Eli. “And channeling out more of our inspirations from our early years as well as now.”   The variety of material on the album is striking. “Autumn 1941” is a chilling account, based on a true story, of an Appalachian mother protecting her daughter from outsiders. “Luxury Liner” is a rollicking rendition of Graham Parsons’s classic that showcases Aila’s singing. “Old Cumberland” and “The Route” are fiddle tunes that soar in unique arrangements with electric guitar and drums.   “I think that's something that just happened naturally from playing with (producer and percussionist) Nick Falk,” says Eli. “And then Sam Leslie learned the tunes on electric guitar. We kind of just put him on this little tiny amp far away in this huge room we were playing in, so we could all hear the guitar at the volume of our acoustic instruments. It’s almost referencing the banjo, and it almost sounds like it has an African influence to me.”   Eli’s guitar and mandolin playing and Aila’s fiddling are products of their old-time roots. But they are accomplished vocalists as well. Aila’s lead singing allows the duo to take on practically any song that intrigues them.   “I can remember singing for as long as I can remember," Aila says. “I just always wanted to sing.”    “Our parents were always playing us Bonnie Raitt and Canned Heat and Stevie Ray Vaughn--all these incredible vocalists,” Eli adds. “A lot of blues, a lot of that 60s, 70s music, and a lot of folk revival music. So we always had that influence of the vocal aspect. And for me, I think Doc Watson was one of my early singing influences. And we loved Nickel Creek growing up. They were a huge influence.”   Aila, who finished at Berklee a year and a half ago, has returned to Floyd, which, for now, The Wildmans call home when they are not touring.   “Right now, it makes sense when we're thinking about saving money,” Eli explains. “But we have a lot of friends on the New York City scene. One of our best audiences is when we go to play in New York City, and we have an audience full of twenty-something-year-olds, which is pretty cool to see. We've had people tell us, ‘I don't know what that fiddle's doing, but it makes me want to dance!’ And that's awesome. But right now, Floyd's working out well, so we're really fortunate to have a beautiful place to be where our parents live and where we grew up.   “The goal is to be self-sufficient and play music on the road. Sell some tickets, record some records, and have the time to write songs. We’ve both been juggling jobs outside of music to be able to do our music when we can, and just keep up with living expenses and all that. So I think we're both really looking forward to not having to work when we're not on the road.”

Some bands begin with ambition. Ruby Joyful began with love. Dan Rubinoff had played in small local bands most of his life, but he says, "I never wrote a good song until I was 50 years old. Joyce and I met eight and a half years ago. It opened up the creative pathways and all of a sudden I was writing good music." That spark led to more than just a few songs. It led to a new life. Ruby Joyful, the band Dan co-founded with partner and bassist Joice Moore, came together in Paonia, Colorado. Their relationship quickly evolved into a creative partnership. “We fell in love immediately. We are still in love, like crazy. Every day is like a honeymoon for us. It never changes.” Joice had never played music before, but Dan, a longtime musician, encouraged her. “We got her to play the bass, which is what all good boyfriends do,” he laughs. Ruby Joyful played local gigs—what they affectionately called "wheelbarrow shows" at the neighborhood brewery, because they literally wheeled their equipment over. “We didn’t have a name ‘cause we kept switching people all the time,” Dan says. “This guy had just come back from hiking a mountain over in Crested Butte called Oh Be Joyful. He said, ‘You’re Rubin, ’ & she’s Joice, so let’s call you Ruby Joyful.’ It was just totally quick, and the name has stuck ever since.” But the hobby turned into something more when Dan invited longtime friend Drew Emmitt to sit in on a show for Colorado congressional candidate Adam Frisch. Emmitt agreed, and that evening changed their fate. “We had dinner with Drew after the show, and I told him about the recording experience. I was like, man, it’s fun, but it just doesn’t sound good. Nobody’s gonna think it sounds good. And I said, 'Hey, would you consider playing a couple of licks on it?' And he looked up and said, 'Sure, absolutely.'” Drew opened the floodgates. He helped connect Dan to Nashville engineer Mark Mirro, who had just taken over Snowmass Creek Studios, initially built by Glenn Frey. Before long, Dan and Joice were recording with some incredible talents. “Before we know it, little Joyce and I from little Paonia, Colorado, are in the studio with Drew Emmitt and Andy Thorn on banjo and Eli Emmitt, Drew’s son.” From there, the project snowballed. Stewart Duncan joined the recording in Nashville. “I paid him to do two tracks. And while we were in the studio with the engineers, we all looked at each other, we’re like, we gotta keep him going. So he ended up doing six tracks.” Dan called up Rob Ickes to join a short tour. “I said, ‘I know you don’t know me or anything, but I’m playing a few shows in Colorado with Drew and Andy, would you consider it?’ And he said, Yes. And my heart just dropped.” The record title, The Pie Chart of Love , is inspired by a piece of pop art Dan created that still hangs in their home. “I started doing big canvases that connected love with seventh-grade math principles. So, I did the pie chart of love, the Venn diagram of love, and the line graph of love…” Every song is rooted in their love. “Everything about the album is basically about our love. It just is. It’s what it is. Every show we’ve done, every song, it’s what we do. And to play with her is a dream for me, honestly.” Despite its success—radio airplay, folk chart rankings, and a publicist campaign—Dan and Joice didn’t want to dive into the industry. “We’re not music business people. We didn’t do the internet-savvy thing. I’m not interested in winning an internet popularity contest.” Instead, they found a calling that felt more purposeful. “We literally get in the van and tour around the west, just playing at children's hospitals,” Dan says. “It has completely won our hearts over from everything else.” Their first experience in that realm of performance came in Greece in 2018, playing for children with terminal illnesses. It deepened after Dan played music for his mother, who had advanced Alzheimer’s. Later, at Denver Children’s Hospital, their experimental visit changed everything. “One hour with kids hooked up to infusion machines would blow the doors off of any sold-out performance we’d ever be doing.” The songwriting never really stops. Even while biking in Alaska, Dan is writing for a program called Song Story, where musicians compose from stories written by terminally ill children. “That’s my one assignment on this trip—to write a song… I’m actually supposed to record it before I get home.” When asked about favorite tracks, Dan points to “All My Friends Got More Money Than Me.” “It was so sweet and so production-wise… I can’t even believe that’s my song,” he says. He also highlights ‘The Same Day,’ a tribute to their devotion. “We decided a long time ago that if we ever died, we’d have to die on the same day because neither of us could stand living one day without each other.” As for the future of Ruby Joyful? “We made it, we did it. It’s beautiful. And I think if it comes again, sure. But the stress of keeping a band together, paying everybody and keeping everybody working… eh. I think we’re enjoying life too much.”

If you ask Matt Wallace why he made his new album Close The Door Lightly, his answer comes from years of making music on stages, in studios, and in the quiet moments between gigs—years that have shaped the Knoxville-born bassist into the kind of artist who knows exactly what he wants to play, and who he wants to play it with. The album—out now on Huckleberry Records—isn’t a showcase of original material, and that’s by design. Wallace calls it more of a “jukebox record,” a collection of songs he loves, reimagined with some of his favorite players. “It’s less like you’re making a record and more like you’re filling a jukebox full of stuff that you want to hear,” he says. Those choices run the gamut from Osborne Brothers classics to Jimmy Martin staples, filtered through Wallace’s warm, grounded musical sensibility. He brought in musicians he’s worked with over the past decade—Don Rigsby, Ronnie Stewart, Jeff Partin—and one newcomer to his circle, guitarist Brian Stephens, whose feel reminded Wallace of the late Tony Rice. “Brian is the closest feel to… anyone… to Tony that’s playing right now,” Wallace says. “We locked in within ten minutes.” The rhythm tracks were cut live with Stephens and Alex Hibbitts, and then Wallace sent songs out for the others to add their parts remotely. The result is an album polished but relaxed, steeped in East Tennessee bluegrass and tinged with country steel and drums in unexpected places. The title track, “Close The Door Lightly When You Go,” first caught Wallace’s ear on a Dillards record. He loved Darrell Webb’s version but wanted his own to sound different—with pedal steel, drums, and a more country feel. That mindset shaped the whole project: honor the source but make it yours. When it came to “Once More,” Wallace immediately wanted Rigsby’s Ralph Stanley-inspired tenor on it. “I cut it because I wanted to hear Don Rigsby sing ‘Once More,’” Wallace says. That straightforward approach doesn’t mean the work was easy. Wallace still grins, recalling the moment Stewart started sending him banjo tracks while he was at his son’s high school baseball game. “I told him, ‘I want you to play everything mean as shit,’” Wallace laughs. “And he nailed it. I was sitting there, headphones in, grinning like an idiot.” Wallace’s path to this album stretches back to 2005, when a college baseball injury left him searching for something to fill the time. His grandfather had been a local musician, and bluegrass pulled him in fast. His first professional gig was with Paul Williams, although Wallace admits he had no idea who Williams was when he cold-called him out of the phone book. From there, he logged years on the road with Williams, Audie Blaylock, and others, often while holding down a full-time job. Wallace plays far fewer shows these days, choosing to be home for his three sons’ travel baseball schedules. “I would much rather… be remembered as a good daddy who was always there than a bass player or a bluegrass musician,” he says. That shift in priorities shows in Close The Door Lightly. It’s not a young man’s calling card; it’s the work of a musician making the record he wants, with the people he wants, at a moment when the music feels like it should. While Wallace jokes that there’s “not a lot of art” to it, the album’s breezy confidence suggests otherwise. It’s the kind of work that comes from knowing your strengths, your limits, and your reasons for making music in the first place. “Just listen to it,” he says. “I hope you enjoy it.”