Philadelphia Folk Festival is Back, Aug. 16-18
The Philadelphia Folk Festival returns to the historic Old Pool Farm in Upper Salford Township, near bucolic Schwenksville, Pennsylvania, August 16-18, following a hiatus in 2023. Thousands of music lovers are expected to converge on the farm, located some 45 minutes from Philadelphia, for the 61st edition of the family-friendly event that is produced and presented by the Philadelphia Folksong Society, a nonprofit arts organization.
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J.D. Crowe, Pioneering Bluegrass Banjo Player, 1937-2021
J.D. Crowe, an influential and visionary bluegrass banjo player, who plied his craft for more than 60 years, died on Dec. 24. The Lexington, Kentucky native and Grammy Award-winning artist was 84.
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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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The Earls of Leicester Take Home a Bevy of International Bluegrass Music Awards
The Earls of Leicester were the big winners during the International Bluegrass Music Awards show, Oct. 1, at Raleigh, North Carolina’s Duke Energy Center for the Arts. The group –- which pays homage to the musical legacy of Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs and their band, the Foggy Mountain Boys -- took home Entertainer, Album (for its Grammy Award-winning self-entitled debut), Instrumental Group and Gospel Recorded Performance (“Who Will Sing For Me”) of the Year awards.
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International Bluegrass Music Awards Presented for 2012
The Gibson Brothers, winners of last year’s Vocal Group of the Year and Album of the Year awards, were named Entertainer of the Year during this year’s 23rd Annual International Bluegrass Music Awards show on Thursday night, Sept. 27, at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, Tennessee. This ended a three year winning streak by Steve Martin & The Steep Canyon Rangers that had been preceded by another three-year streak by the popular duo Dailey & Vincent..
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Top Albums and Songs of April 2012 (FOLKDJ-L)
AcousticMusicScene.com is pleased to publish the monthly Top Albums and Songs charts compiled by Richard Gillmann from radio playlists submitted to FOLKDJ-L, an electronic discussion group for DJs and others interested in all folk-based music on the radio. In April 2012, 1000 Pound Machine, a new release by Nashville-based singer-songwriter Kate Campbell topped the albums chart, while the classic instrumental tune "Foggy Mountain Breakdown" by Earl Scruggs, the pioneering banjo player and bluegrass legend who died on March 28 at age 88, was reportedly the most-played song on folk radio during the month.
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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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The Banjo is Focus of PBS Documentary Premiering Nov. 4, 2011
Give Me The Banjo, a documentary chronicling 300 years of American history and popular culture through the country’s quintessential musical instrument – from its earliest use by enslaved Africans in colonial times to the 21st century – premieres Friday, Nov. 4, at 9 p.m. ET on PBS television stations(check your local listings).
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International Bluegrass Music Awards Nominees Named for 2010
Dailey & Vincent, Russell Moore, Sam Bush, Michael Cleveland & Flamekeeper and The Grascals lead the list of nominees for the 21st Annual International Bluegrass Music Awards that takes place on Thursday, September 30, at the historic Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, Tennessee.
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