Bill Keith, Banjo Player and Stylist, 1939-2015
Bill Keith, a noted five-string banjoist who introduced a melodic style of playing the instrument and designed a specialized type of tuning peg that bears his name, died Oct. 23 at age 75.
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Quick Q & A with Old Man Luedecke
Old Man Luedecke is an award-winning Nova Scotia-based roots singer-songwriter and old-time claw hammer-style banjo player who writes narrative-style folk songs and has a penchant for language. “Language that moves me is language that is unusual,” he notes. “I feel like it’s an important thing I can contribute to songwriting.” His latest album, Tender is the Night, pays homage to F.Scott Fitzgerald’s famous novel, a title lifted from John Keats’ poem, “Ode to a Nightingale.” Kathy Sands-Boehmer posed a few questions to him recently.
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Earl Scruggs, Pioneering Banjo Player,Bluegrass Legend, 1924-2012
Earl Scruggs, a celebrated and highly influential banjo player, whose innovative three-fingered picking style helped to popularize the instrument, has joined that great bluegrass jam in the sky. Scruggs, who was a large presence in both the folk and country music worlds and was honored by both, died of natural causes on March 28 at a hospital in Nashville, Tennessee. He was 88.
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New Banjo Player Joins Sierra Hull & Highway 111
Banjo player Jessie Baker, formerly part of Michael Cleveland and Flamekeeper, has joined bluegrass band Sierra Hull & Highway 111. “I’m really excited to be playing with such a talented group of musicians and singers,” said Baker in a prepared statement. “I’ve been a fan of Sierra’s since I saw her onstage with Ricky Skaggs playing “Boston Boy” at my first IBMA FanFest in Louisville, KY. I’m looking forward to being part of Highway 111.”
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