Jimmie Rodgers, considered the father of country music, could have carried the title of the “countriest” country singer ever. After all, he made yodeling famous with his series of 13 “blue yodel” songs written between 1927 and 1933....
This webinar aired in December of 2020 as part of the Southeast Folk Alliance's webinar series SERFA Sessions. It looks at how an artist being interviewed live or for a publication can make the most of the experience....
I got to sit down with the multi-talented bluegrass musician Glen Harrell, the lead vocalist and fiddler of the two-time IBMA award-winning bluegrass band Volume Five. Click the link below to have a listen to some of their...
If you are beginning your journey of learning an instrument, it can be tricky to choose the best instrument to learn. Additionally, buying a quality instrument that will work for you (or your child) is also challenging. So...
On the second and last Sundays of the month, there is an Irish Music Session in Birmingham, Alabama that takes place in two different locations. It's a great way to expose yourself free of charge to popular Irish...
Countless times in my career as a private music teacher I’ve gotten the question, “Is it too late for me to learn an instrument?” My reply has always been, “No, it's not.” Many fear that if they didn’t...
This past week (May 18-22, 2022), the International Folk Alliance held their annual conference as a hybrid event this year. For the in-person part, held in Kansas City, Missouri, it was a welcome return to some semblance of...
I remember one time a man was asking me about the music I perform and play, and I mentioned “folk” music in my reply. He asked me point blank, “What is folk music?” I was a little surprised....
June 24, 2014, marked the official release of the latest album from Smithsonian Folkways called Classic African American Songsters. It is a celebration of the vast variety of repertoire that these "songsters," or traveling African American musicians of...
