currentCover Remembering Earl Scruggs

Sonny Osborne writes: When a person passes from this life, the question always comes to mind, did they make a difference? Did they help change anything in this world?

Earl did!

The impact Earl made will be felt forever! continued




currentCover Earl Scruggs Interview
By Béla Fleck and Tony Trischka (2006)

These excerpts (or “outakes”) of an interview with Earl Scruggs were conducted by Tony Trischka and Béla Fleck in July, 2006, and were filmed by Marc Fields for his “The Banjo Project” (portions of which later became the PBS documentary “Give Me The Banjo,” which was aired in Nov. 2011). Most of that interview was published in the Nov. 2006 issue of the BNL, but these portions were not.

Tony Trischka: Okay, let’s just start at the beginning—where were you born, etc.

Earl Scruggs: I was born January 6th, 1924, Cleveland County, North Carolina. Six miles out of Shelby, NC.

TT: What was it like growing up there? continued

Here are the Oct. and Nov. 2006 interviews with Earl and Louise Scruggs:

Interview with Earl and Louise Scruggs, Oct. 2006

Interview with Earl Scruggs, Nov. 2006


record Callous Thumb, May 2012
 by BNL Editor Donald Nitchie
 
We are all deeply saddened by the news of Earl Scruggs’ passing. For those of us in the banjo community, Earl’s impact on our lives cannot be overstated.   continued



currentCover Ross Nickerson
By Tom Adams
 
Making a living with the banjo has always been a challenge, and the current economy certainly hasn’t made it any easier. But undeterred by the times and facing great odds, Ross Nickerson has succeeded at doing exactly that very thing.   continued

April Contents and Sound Files here


currentCover A Conversation with
Noam Pikelny
By Associate Editor Ian Perry
 
March 2012: Since first appearing on the national scene as Mark Vann’s replacement in Leftover Salmon, Noam Pikelny’s career has continued to soar like a comet blazing across the sky.  continued

March Contents and Sound Files here


currentCover Master Luthier Robin Smith
 By Dustin Ogdin
 
February 2012: Banjo players should be grateful that master luthier Robin Smith did a poor job of loading his family's upright bass on top of his friend’s Corvair back when he was a young fifteen year-old kid. 
continued

February Contents and Sound Files here


currentCover Bill Schmidt
 interview by Cathy Fink
 
January 2012: Bill Schmidt is a versatile and talented musician on guitar, ukulele, fiddle and banjo. 
continued

January Contents and Sound Files here




Janet Beazley Janet Beazley
 Interview by Mitch Finley
 
December 2011: Janet Beazley plays banjo and sings with the California bluegrass band Chris Stuart & Backcountry and in the duo Chris Stuart & Janet Beazley.   continued

December Contents and Sound Files here



Nov2011Cover Learning to Play Banjo
in the New Millennium
 by Ian Perry
 
November 2011: For someone starting out on the journey of learning to play the 5-string banjo, the landscape has changed considerably since the early days of bluegrass. During the 1940’s and 50’s, there were virtually no teaching aids whatsoever.   continued

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Banjo Newsletter and Homespun have partnered to bring you an easy and fast way to download your banjo lesson DVDs.

2011-10-cover Marc Pruett
 interview by Wayne Peeler
 
October 2011: Marc Pruett is the banjo player and a co-founding member of Balsam Range, the critically-acclaimed band from Western North Carolina which was nominated for Song of the Year, Album of the Year, and Emerging Artist at this year’s IBMA. (As Marc wrote on the band’s website, “I can understand ‘song’ and ‘album’…but Shootfirebuddy, I feel like I’ve been emerging now since 1962!!!”) They ended up winning Song of the Year...   continued


2011-09-cover Mike Munford
 interviewed by Ira Gitlin
 
September 2011: Since 2008, when Mike Munford began touring with rising bluegrass star Frank Solivan and his band Dirty Kitchen, listeners around the country are finding out what fans and pickers in the Washington-Baltimore area have known for years: This is one amazing banjo player. The first thing that hits you when you hear Mike is his confident attack and big flathead tone. continued


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