A singer and songwriter with a gift for connecting with sounds of the past, Mean Mary (real name, Mary James) has gained a loyal following for music that draws on vintage country, bluegrass, and traditional folk with just a touch of modern-day flash. A performer since she was six years old, she developed a taste […]
A South Carolina native, Arnold began playing music in the 1950s when he and his brother built a guitar from a steel gas can, broomsticks, wood, nails and screen wire. His first band, J Floyd & the Shamrocks, included a young James Brown on piano. Arnold moved to Chicago in 1965, where he joined the […]
The piano rarely plays a prominent part in Appalachian or Americana music and is seldom the lead instrument. Jeff Little is an exception – and a remarkable one. His distinctive two-handed style, much influenced by the mountain flat-picked guitar tradition, is breathtaking in its speed, precision, and clarity. He was inducted into the Blue Ridge Music […]
