Traditional Country Music Is At The Heart Of Modern Bluegrass

As a child of the 1950's, being raised on a healthy dose of Hank Williams, and George Jones, I spent most of the last 20 years wondering what happened to good old Country Music. You know, the honky tonk, beer drinking, cheating on your girlfriend songs.

The birth of Traditional Country Music can be traced back to the 1930's when the music that came out of the Bristol Sessions began to split up into categories. Blues, Bluegrass, and Country.

Roy Acuff and Ernest Tubb lead the migration to Nashville while Bill Monroe, along with Lester Flatt and the banjo magic of Earl Scruggs, kept the High Lonesome sound of what is now known as traditional bluegrass music.

Alan Jackson and George Strait told us back in 2000 about Murder on Music Row being the end of what we call Traditional Country Music.

The songs coming out of Nashville in the 21st century, that are being called Country Music are nothing more than Pop Music with very little roots in country music. This music was where all of the kids from the 70's and 80's landed when the Rock music ended after the breakup of the Eagles..

Murder on Music Row was the song that explained the shift in style that Nashville was going through at the dawn of the 21st century, and although it was well accepted by traditional fans, it was not liked by the record executives around Nashville.

Murder on Music Row was released as a duet sung by Alan Jackson, and George Strait with backup vocals by Lee Ann Womack on a George Strait album called "Latest Greatest Straitest Hits" in 2000, but was never released as a single.

The song was aimed at criticism of mainstream country music, and went to number 38 on the Billboard of Country singles.

George Jones, and Dirks Bently recorded the song again in 2006 as part of an album called "Songs of the Year 2007" but was only sold in Cracker Barrel Restaurants.

Would you be surprised if I told you Murder on Music Row had roots in Bluegrass? The song was written by, and originally recorded by Larry Cordle and his band, Lonesome Standard. It was released in 1999 as the title track on their album, Murder on Music Row. and was awarded Song of the Year in 2000 by the IBMA.

Tune into Bluegrass Junction on Sirius XM Radio, and 30% of the songs you will hear are traditional country music done in bluegrass style.

The crying steel guitars have been replaced by banjos and mandolins, but the lyrics and tunes say country music. And to make matters better, it's all acoustic natural music.

So murder wasn't committed on music row, traditional country only moved down the road where lovers of this style of music were able to find it alive and well in the IBMA.

Water always finds the lowest spot, and music that people love always finds it's audience. It just lives in a different place. 

Thanks to modern radio that caters to peoples likes instead of trying to force us into categories that we don't like, we can all find the music that we love to hear, and makes us, as individuals, happy.

So what happened to "Traditional Country Music"?

It moved from Nashville, to Raleigh, and is alive, well disguised as Modern Bluegrass with roots right here on The Crooked Road.

Bluegrass Jam Camp..Bristol Rhythm And Root Reunion

As a writer who also writes about golf, I have been so busy covering the end of season events in professional golf that I haven't had time to get a post up here on Sounds of the Mountains, but I finally broke away last week and got in some jamming at Bristol.

Dr. Banjo holds jam camps all around the country, and this time of the year, they hold a three-day bluegrass jam just ahead of the Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion. This year the event was hosted by the folks at the new Birthplace of Country Music Museum.

The jam was lead by Gilbert and Leigh Nelson at the museum with an assist from Doug Miller. The week was topped off with a power jam on Thursday evening with musicians from the Abingdon area, and a 15-minute set on the Mural Stage, Friday evening at Rhythm & Roots.

The session included three days of Jamming instruction, breakout instrument and vocal training, and lots of playing. We had folks from the local area, and one guy from as far away as Wisconsin. 

I received pointers on my banjo, guitar, dog house as well as the finer points of singing harmony. In short, I had a blast playing bluegrass, and meeting a bunch great people.

We played music almost continually from 10 AM to 6 PM daily, and on Thursday after a supper break, we jammed well into the evening.  

The Pete Wernick jamming method provides a safe place for closet pickers where they can jam with other people who are at their talent level. By the end of the first day, we were playing slow to medium speed songs with ease.

By the end of the session and into the performance on the stage at Rhythm & Roots, everyone was able to keep up with some speedy bluegrass standards.

Gilbert Nelson is an entertaining, and very knowledgeable instructor who teaches all instruments in the bluegrass arsenal, as well as techniques for getting out to local jams. 

I recommend that anyone who is like myself, a little apprehensive about going out to join a local jam, the Wernick Method is a great place to begin, where you can gain the confidence to fit in.

Although I have played guitar and bass in many jams, my fear was that darn banjo. Can I pick the banjo out in public and not make a fool out of myself. The jam camp has provided that bridge.

The session in Bristol also included a tour of the Birthplace of Country Music Museum. I had always heard of the 1927 Bristol Sessions, but never really understood why Bristol, and why 1927. I answered all those questions, and more during my trip through the museum.

If you love music of all kinds, and want to know more about the history around it, this is the place for you. It is well worth the $13.00 admission if you are in the area.

Not only did the jam camp include admission to the Museum, it also came with a pass to the Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion. 

The only bad thing here is, I will have to wait until year to do it again.

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Juste Music Celebrates 1st Year Under New Management

It's hard to believe it's been a year since Charles Anderson took over the Juste Music Store in Norton, Virginia. But when arriving for my 4 PM fiddle lesson on Monday, signs around the store talking about the month-long celebration reminded me that it indeed has been a year.

I was able to sit down with the young owner of the the only full-service music store in this area of the Crooked Road, and discuss how he ended up owning a musics store, what the first anniversary celebration was all about, and what was on-tap for the the future for his growing business.

As it turned out, as a long-time employee at Juste Music, previous owner, Charles Carter gave him the news on a Friday in late July that they would be closing the store, and if he wanted to continue to be employed, he would need to buy the store.

And by the way, he needed a decision by Monday. The rest, is as we say, is history.

As a part-time music and business student at the University of Virginia at Wise, Charles decided it was either start looking for a job, or put his business training to work, and give the fledgling shop a try.

The Customer Appreciation celebration begins on September 1st, and will include live music, drawings, and great in-store discounts on instruments, amplifiers, and accessories. There will be a store-wide 10% discount on all products and as much as 25% on selected products.

Anthony and Samm Keys will kick off the entertainment  on Saturday, September 6th and an open mic jam on the last weekend wraps up the celebration at the end of the month. Mis'ry Creek and Orthophonic Joy winner, Corbin Hayslett will all perform during the month.

Of course, Corbin, and Chris Rose from Mis'ry Creek are part of the instruction staff at Juste Music, and along with Matt Bowman (keyboard, guitar and drums), and Chris Woodward (guitar) will be available during the month to discuss your instructional needs.

Chris Rose is a well-known guitarists in the Wise County area, and is on staff at the UVA Wise as well as the Music program at Mountain Empire Community College in Big Stone Gap, Virginia.

Chris Rose is one of the finer guitar instructors in this area. He can teach you bluegrass licks in one minute, and Van Halen licks the next.

Corbin Hayslett is a member of the Bluegrass program at UVA Wise, and teaches all of the instruments in the accoustical concern ie.. Three-finger and clawhammer banjo, fiddle, mandolin, guitar and upright bass.

Shop Manager, Mackenzie Carter is an excellent Bass Guitarist, and teaches as well.

If you have a band and would like to get a slot to perform during the celebration, be sure to contact the staff at Juste Music for a time and date.

I discussed the future of Juste Music with Charles, and he indicated that the business has specialized in the past as a guitar players music store, he is looking to expand his acoustical products, and provide high school band accessories.

With his Norton location being less than a mile off of the Country Music Highway, and Virginia's Heritage Music Trail, The Crooked Road, it was time for Juste Music to become a stop where musicians can shop for Mountain Music, Old-Time, and Bluegrass needs as well.

Although the live entertainment schedule is not set in concrete at this juncture, be sure to check in with the Juste Music website at http://www.justemusic.com/ and take a minute to like their Facebook Page at https://www.facebook.com/justemusicnortonva

Juste Music is located at 511 Park Avenue SW in Norton, Virginia and can be reached by phone for all of your needs at 276-679-7529.

While you are on Facebook to like the Juste Music Page, be sure to slip over and like the our page at https://www.facebook.com/soundsofthemountains

One Holiday...Two Big Festivals

It doesn't matter if you're into Bluegrass Music, or love Old-Time, the Labor Day Weekend festivals on The Crooked Road have good music lined up for everyone.

With the end of summer coming, it's time to get out and take in some of these festivals, and what better place to start your long weekend than with The Albert Hash Memorial Festival in Grayson County Virginia.

The Albert Hash Memorial Festival is held in honor of legendary fiddle maker Albert Hash, and promotes the preservation of traditional mountain music, dance, crafts, and instrument making.

The festival gets underway on Saturday, August 30, 2014 at the Grayson Highlands State Park in Mouth of Wilson, Virginia with the gates opening at 10 AM.

The lineup for the Henderson Stage is packed for every one's taste in music beginning with The White Top Mountain Band, The Crooked Road Ramblers, Big Country Bluegrass, Wayne Henderson, and much more.

There's camping, crafts and just about everything for a family outing that includes some of the best music in the country. And you won't break the bank with the $10 Dollar admission,and three bucks to park you car.

You can find all of the information on this event at the festivals website at Albert Hash Memorial Festival.

On Sunday afternoon, it's the Papa Joe Smiddy Mountain Music Festival on the Amphitheater Stage at Natural Tunnels State Park near Duffield, Virginia. The music starts at 5PM, and also has a packed lineup with music for everyone.

The Town Branch Bluegrass Band will kickoff the music with Pappa Joe Smiddy and Reedy Creek, The ETSU Old-Time Pride Band, The ETSU Bluegrass Pride Band and finishing up with Dale Jett and Hello Stranger.

The Town Branch Bluegrass Band is the winner of the annual Pickin in the Park competition, and is a dynamite local bluegrass band who will provide a set of traditional bluegrass cover tunes added to some of the groups original music.

If you haven't been able to catch the kids from the ETSU music programs, this is a unique place to catch both bands in one spot.

Dale Jett and Oscar Harris provide some of the old Carter Family favorites along with new material from the present.

Tickets are $10 in advance, and $15 at the gate. Be sure to visit the Papa Joe Smiddy website for all of the information, and locations where you can purchase tickets in advance.

It's Labor Day weekend, fall is in the air, and it's an opportunity for you to hear some of the finest music on the planet. Let's get out and support all of this local talent that you can only find on The Crooked Road!

The "Orthophonic Joy" Of Corbin Hayslett

I remember a cold Saturday October morning last fall when I showed up for the early entertainment at the Home Craft Days in Big Stone Gap, Virginia. I wanted to catch my newly found 19 year-old Banjo teacher when he took the stage under the smaller of the two entertainment tents at the festival.

There he was. Corbin Hayslett, looking like a pack mule and carrying one each, guitar, fiddle, mandolin and two banjos(a resonator and clawhammer), ready for his 10:30 AM set. Did I say, he was only 19 years old?

Mid-way through his set, I remember saying to Joey O'Quinn, who was the MC for the tent, how does one person get all of the talent, and mortals like us spend a lifetime trying to find it? I could see this kid was special, and I was going to take Scruggs-Style banjo lessons from him.

For weeks, The FaceBook Page for The Birth of Country Music Museum in Bristol had encouraged Musicians from all around the world to enter The Orthophonic Joy Music Contest by submitting a recording of an original song from the legendary 1927 Bristol Sessions.

The winner of the grand prize would go to Nashville and perform his, or her song on the album set to commemorate the 1927 Sessions. You can read all about the lineup for the album by visiting http://www.cybergrass.com/node/3876 .

I was able to sit down with Corbin a couple of days after the announcement at the 10th Annual Mountain Music School, and get to better know this talented youngster.

Corbin is from Brookneal, Virginia, south of Lynchburg and seemed to be born into music. His mother was a concert pianist and his dad was a big fan of Bluegrass, and Old Time Mountain Music. His dad pushed the Old Time, and when he plays, you can tell how much he loves the history, and the music of Appalachia.

He got his first banjo for Christmas in 2003, and was able to train with Mike Seeger and Jim Lloyd. He studied fiddle under Jim Robertson, and Old Time training from Charley Bradner. When he reached the 10th grade he studied under Woody McKenzie.

I asked Corbin which instrument was his favorite, and answered all of them, but he said it all depended on what kind of mood he was in when he decided to play. He indicated his favorite style of music included Doc Watson because of it's clean lines.

As a student at The University of Virginia at Wise, Corbin is in his Senior year. He is majoring in History, and Appalachian Studies. He plans to move on after graduating, to Appalachia State in Boone, North Carolina to get his Masters Degree Appalachian Studies, and History.

Corbin Hayslett has a big dream. He wants to perform on the stage at The Grand Ole Opry. He has already made it to Nashville and will be on Orthohnic Joy with the likes of Marty Stuart, Vince Gill, Ricky Skaggs, Dolly Parton and more.

If you listen to Corbin's rendition of "Darlin Cory" you will have to agree, that spot on the stage at the Opry is waiting, and soon to follow.

The Empty Bottle String Band Releases Travelin Man CD

The one big thing that is apparent when you are exposed to life in Appalachia, is how much young people here, are exposed to the music that was made in these mountains hundreds of years ago.

It is almost a birthright that is enacted on back porches all along the Crooked Road. The Empty Bottle String Band is a product of this inheritance and their new album, Travelin Man is a reflection of the spirit  that lives only in the mountains of rural Appalachia..

If you close your eyes while listening to Ramblin Man, your mind can conjure up images of Dock Boggs, The Skillet Lickers, and The Carter Family. When you open your eyes and take a look at the kids that are performing these tunes, you can see why we continue to have this music available in 2014.

The Empty Bottle String band gives you thirteen toe-tapping cuts on their new album which includes fresh music you can dance to, as well as, ballads that will take your mind back to a battlefront during the Civil War.

From left to right in the picture, lets start with Tyler Hughes, who hails from right her in Big Stone Gap, Kristal Harman from the Ozark Mountains, Band Manager, Stephanie Jeter, and Ryan Nickerson from Chesapeake, Virginia.

All four are students of the East Tennesee State University, and all are part of the Old-Time Music program. Tyler plays Claw Hammer Banjo and Uke, Kristal guitar, Stephanie, autoharp, and bass with Ryan on fiddle, and mandolin.

Tyler, Kristal and Stephanie all provide various vocals on this album.

You can find out more information about The Empty Bottle String Band, their schedule on the groups  FaceBook Page, While you are checking out the band, you can listen to some of the tracks on Ramblin Man.

It's Festival Time On The Crooked Road

With the 10th annual edition of the Mountain Music School at Mountain Empire Community College in the rear-view mirror, and a little bit of fall in the air it has to be festival time on the Crooked Road. And one of the perks from attending the school, is a handful of free passes to the upcoming festivals around the area.

Festival season here on the Western leg of the Crooked Road starts on August 1st with the festivities at Carter Fold, and ends with Home Craft Days at the Mountain Empire Community College in Big Stone Gap in mid October.


This year, it all starts at Carter Fold in Hilton,Virginia. 2014 will be a special year, as it marks the 40th anniversary of the event, and will feature a host of performers that include Wry Straw.

Now you can go to Carter Fold anytime to see the old log cabin, and the Carter Family Museum with good music, but festival time provides the opportunity which comes with a two night music event at the home of where it all started back in 1927.

It all starts on Friday, August 1st, and winds up on Saturday night. Friday night begins with Lorrie Carter Bennett & Ronnie Williams at 6PM, and two sets with Folk Soul Revival at 7:15 and 9:00 PM.

Saturday evening begins at 3:00 PM and will feature the headliner band, Wry Straw with John McCutcheon, and winds up the evening with the high energy group, The White Top Mountain Band.

There is a supper break between 6:00 and 7:00 so you can get some soup beans and cornbread before the evening session starts.

You can get all of the information at www.carterfamilyfold.org.

Labor Day weekend you will have to choose between a couple of great festivals, or do a lot of driving. The Albert Hash Memorial Festival kicks of the weekend on Saturday, August 30th at the Grayson Highland State Park. Come early, the music starts at 10 AM with groups throughout the day, all the way to 6PM.

The festival includes the Albert Hash Memorial Band. You can find all the information at http://www.alberthashmemorialfestival.com/.

Sunday afternoon features the Papa Joe Smiddy Mountain Music Festival at The Natural Tunnels State Park in Duffield, Virginia. This is a prize lineup for your listening pleasure.

It all starts with the winner of the Bluegrass competition that was held at Picking in the Park Sunday's throughout the summer. The Town Branch Bluegrass Band won the competition, and will kick-off the music at 5PM.

You get Papa Joe with Reedy Creek, The ETSU Old Time Pride Band, The ETSU Bluegrass Pride Band, and the evening will wind up with a performance by one of my favorite groups in the area, Dale Jett, and Hello Stranger.

This is a great afternoon that includes a variety of musical genre that includes everything I love. Old-Time, Bluegrass, and Carter Family songs. You can't miss with this one, there's something for everyone.

Great music at one of the most beautiful open amphitheaters in the country. Visit http://www.coveridge.com/pjs for more info, and directions.



Up next, the Dock Boggs Festival gets underway at the Country Cabin in Norton,Virginia at noon on September 13th. Gates open at 11:00 AM, and music starts at 1:00 PM.

I'm not sure of the lineup at this point, but I can assure you, it will be good. You can keep track of the festival by visiting http://www.dockboggsfestival.com/index.html

You can park at several spots in Big Stone Gap, and ride the bus for a buck each way, or look for parking on the campus. I would suggest the first option. You can get all of the info at http://www.homecraftdays.org/.

Last, but not least, Home Craft Days gets underway on October 17th, and runs through the 19th. If you like homemade crafts, and great music, this is the event where you can get it all. Located on the campus of the Mountain Empire Community College, this is a great event to put a wrap on the season, and the year 

Running for over 40 years, this festival gives you an opportunity to browse a parking lot full of vendors of all kind, and continuous music from 10:30 AM every morning running until almost midnight. They change the bands every 45 minutes, and you will get a chance to see anyone, who is anyone in the world of Appalachian music.


Some of the festivals offer jamming in pre-determined locations, check the websites. Don't let another year go by without experiencing a piece of Americana right here in the Mountains of Virginia, conveniently located along The Crooked Road.


You can follow me on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/lbailey678 or Twitter at https://twitter.com/Spin_47

The Circle Will Never Be Unbroken On The Crooked Road

As a kid who was raised in the 1950's middle America, and heavily influenced by Country Music, I grew up on Hank Williams, George Jones, and Ernest Tubb with a little bit of Elvis Presley and Johnny Cash sprinkled in. I spent many Saturday nights listening to the Grand Ole Opry and thought I understood where it all came from.

It was the 1972 collaboration of some long-haired kids from California called The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, and a whole bunch of famous people on an album called "Will The Circle Be Unbroken" that I realized I had found the music I truly loved.

It was one of the first boxed albums to ever come out, and included five 33 1/3 records with some of the best music I had ever heard.

There was Earl and Randy Scruggs, Doc Watson, Vasser Clements, Mother Maybell, and Johnny Cash, to name a few, and those long-haired kids from California who no one had heard of.

At a time when the country was in complete turmoil over the war in Vietnam, where I had already spent 3 and 1/2 years of my life, and was knee-deep in what is now called Classic Rock. Will the Circle Be Unbroken came as a breath of fresh air that seemed to join various factions of people fighting to end the war, and factions around the music business as well.

It reminded us of simpler times, and proved you didn't need big amplifiers with distortion pedals to produce music that was enjoyable and easy to listen to. It was simple, acoustic and very enjoyable.

It wasn't long afterwards that Emmy Lou Harris came with her first big album that included a Louvin Brothers tune call "If I Could Only Win Your Love". Her band featured a young Mandolin player by the name of Ricky Skaggs and I realized this music was back, and in good health.

I spent the 80's, 90's and the early part of the 21st century wondering where the good old music went. Then in 2007 I came to Big Stone Gap, Virginia for the first time, and I found it.

What I found was, the music never went anywhere, it just took me half of a lifetime to find it. It has always been here in the mountains, and after spending a couple of years up here, I finally understand what the old album was all about.

I finally understood what the unbroken circle was all about. It's all around me everyday here. People sitting on their back porches picking the best music in the world.

The festivals and jam sessions on The Crooked Road is where the music lives year-round, and people who spend time with their children to teach them the the music and dances of the mountains insures us that the Circle will never be Unbroken!

Town Branch Bluegrass Featured At June Pickin In The Park

The Town Branch Bluegrass Band took the stage on Sunday as the featured group for the second leg of the Pickin in the Park competition at the Natural Tunnel State Park. The competition started on the last Sunday of May with Boots On The Ground, and will finish up on July 27th with Sycamore Hollow.

The Town Branch Bluegrass Band hails from the Town Branch area of Jonesville, Va. and with strong vocals from Shirley Smith and Wayne Bonham worked their way through a nice set of good bluegrass cover tunes, as well as, a few of the group's original offerings.

Great solos and backup from Brandon Elkins on the five-string, and Bill Newman on the mandolin rounded out a nice sound that was 100% Bluegrass.

You can find out more about The Town Branch Bluegrass Band by visiting their website at townbranchbluegrass.com/, and like their FaceBook Page.

Natural Tunnel State Park is located on The Crooked Road, 13 miles North of Gate City, Virginia, and you can find out more about this location that has some kind of activity almost every weekend during the summer months. Be sure to check it out at http://www.dcr.virginia.gov/state-parks/natural-tunnel.shtml

Pickin In The Park is sponsored by The Culture Arts Council of Cove Ridge Foundation, HobNob Drive-In, and the Mountain Empire Community College School of Mountain Music.

There will be an Outdoor Theater Night on Sunday July 6th from 7-9:30 PM for The Trail Of The Lonesome Pine Outdoor Drama. Music will be from Poplar Hill Reunion hailing from Big Stone Gap. Jim Gates will emcee the show.

There are many things to do at Natural Tunnel State Park, and best of all, is the Sounds from the Mountains at the parks Ampitheater!.

Mountain Music School:The Hidden Gem on the Crooked Road

Without a doubt, the scenery on the Crooked Road will captivate you, but what makes it special is of course, the music. You can participate in the music at any level that suits your fancy. You can be a spectator, you can dance, or you can pick.

If you want to be more than a spectator, have two left feet like I do, and want to be a picker, you will need some help.

The problem with being a picker is you need to buy an instrument and take lessons for years before you can participate. The other problem is you think you want to pick a guitar, and find out after six months that you want to play a banjo.

Now you have to find a place to sell that guitar, and you need to buy a banjo!

The answer to your dilemma is the Mountain Music School held once a year during the last week of July at the Mountain Empire Community College in Big Stone Gap, Virginia. Conveniently located on the Crooked Road.

Nowhere else in this country can you show-up empty handed, be handed the instrument you want to learn to play, and get a week of instruction on how to play it.

There's coffee and snacks to get you going in the morning, a catered lunch and a concert by local musician while your lunch digests, and special classes before finishing the afternoon sessions.

When it's over on Friday afternoon, and you get a taste of performing what you've learned during the week on the main stage with your classmates before you give the instrument back.

It's a busy week of living the dream. You cam learn guitar, banjo, autoharp, fiddle or learn to play in a group with a string band.

Most of the teachers at the Mountain Music School are versed in all of the different instruments of the style, and will teach you about the roots of the music and the culture to go along with you instrument instruction.

Already know the basics of your instruments and want some intermediate or advanced training? The Mountain Music School offers that as well, just specify your experience level on the application.

The Mountain Music School takes all comers from 10 years old and up. The level of commitment to making your week an experience you will remember for a lifetime is unparallelled, and if you are anything like me, you will do it all over again next year.

So if you want to graduate from being a spectator to a picker, visit www.mountainmusicschool.org and fill out an application. It's an adventure you will remember for a lifetime and you will have a piece of the Crooked Road in your heart forever.

Life On The Crooked Road

As a lover of music in general, and acoustical music in particular, when I retired in 2009, I needed to find a way to get closer to the music I love. So here I am, in the mountains of Southwest Virginia, living on the Crooked Road.

What's the Crooked Road?

The Crooked Road is Virginia’s Heritage Music Trail, a driving route through the Appalachian Mountains from the Blue Ridge to the Coalfields region, following U.S. Route 58. The trail connects major heritage music venues in the region such as the Blue Ridge Music Center, Birthplace of Country Music Alliance, and the Carter Family Fold.

Nowhere else in this country, I've lived on both coasts, and was raised in the center of the country, have I found a part of this great United States that has more of a commitment to the preservation to this style of music than communities on The Crooked Road.

The numbers of jams, festivals, and concerts throughout the year are endless. Almost every week there is something going on, and it involves music.

When I made my first trip to Big Stone Gap in the summer of 2011 to attend the Annual Mountain Music School at the Mountain Empire Community College, I though I was getting knee-deep in Bluegrass, but got a quick education on the difference between Bluegrass, and Old-Time Mountain Music.

I was introduced to the world of the Carter Family, Doc Boggs, and all of the folks that put this great music on records to preserve them for me in the 21st century.

Oh! there's Bluegrass around too. There are jams every night of the week where you can play any type of music you want. You can even find Country Music, Classic Rock and Hip Hop here as well, but people here all know where those influences came from.

That's right, they all have branches that lead back to the roots of the common man's music, back to mountains of Appalachia, and the roots of music that is 100% American.

So, if you love music of all types, and want to experience it in it's native setting, The Crooked Road is the place to start. I guarantee once you start here, you won't want to go anywhere else.

I know I didn't!