Have you ever wondered about the offstage world of a professional musician? Every month in this column, bluegrass now will provide a glimpse into the lives of some of your favorite bluegrass stars. To see captions, just move your cursor over the photos!

Nestled in the heart of the Bluegrass State, in the foothills of the Appalachians, the town of Berea, Kentucky has a rich musical heritage. The roots of Coon Creek queen Lily Mae Ledford may be found here. Early country music legend Red Foley, founder of the Renfro Valley Barn Dance, was born in a log cabin between Berea and neighboring Blue Lick. The McClain Family Band also hails from Berea-remember Ruthie and Alice, dark-eyed bluegrass princesses, and their pigtails, quilted skirts, and radiant smiles?

This idyllic town is now the home of Dale Ann Bradley, whose regal talent and vocal power are admired by loyal fans all over the country. Originally from the southeastern-most part of Kentucky, a mountain town called Pineville, Dale Ann cut her musical teeth on bluegrass gospel music, much beloved in the Cumberland Gap. “There's such a heritage down there--a huge religious and spiritual culture that runs very deep. They are Ralph Stanley worshippers!” she says of her birthplace.

Though she enjoyed growing up in Pineville, Dale Ann moved to Berea a couple of years ago, determining that it was the perfect place to raise her son, John. “I moved up here to expose him to the wonderful culture. I would say without doubt that it's one of the top places to live in the country. Berea is small-town America. You have all the conveniences you could want; there's really no need to leave town. There's not a lot of crime; there's a lot of art and music, and there's Berea College.” Consistently one of the top-ranked regional colleges in the United States, the small Christian liberal-arts school offers degrees in education, business, home economics, and engineering technologies.

A hard-working single mother, Dale Ann has cultivated a successful career as a bluegrass musician while raising a son. John, 15, is a freshman in high school. He plays bass guitar, trombone in the high school band, and he's a member of the choir. “He's also starting to play the acoustic guitar, and he's doing very well,” Dale Ann reports. “I like to spend as much time with him as I can. I'm busy most of the time helping him get to where he needs to be! Everything's centered around music.”

Dale Ann is proud of John's eclectic musical interests. “He loves bluegrass, and old rock-and-roll like CCR (Creedence Clearwater Revival). He's really taken by good music! When you let people pigeonhole you, you just rob yourself.”

Though a rigorous touring schedule precludes regular involvement with band booster activities, Dale Ann and her band, Coon Creek, have contributed their time and music to a number of fundraising concerts. “They know that I'm available if they need a concert to raise money. We want to do anything that we can to help our kids, our schools, our churches, our neighbors who are in need.”

Berea is a community in which that high lonesome sound can almost always be heard somewhere. When she's home, Dale Ann is often part of it. She teaches guitar, mandolin, and vocals at Music Makers, a local studio. Her 15 students range in age from five to 50 or thereabouts. “It's proved to be real rewarding to me, introducing a lot of young people to bluegrass, and others as well. It's a part-time job that doesn't really feel like a job.”

Dale Ann's major professional focus, of course, is the music she makes with Coon Creek, her acclaimed bluegrass ensemble (members include her songwriting partner Vicki Simmons, plus superpickers Michael Cleveland and Tom Adams). Making music is something Dale Ann has wanted to do for as long as she can remember. “When I was a kid, and then when I was first married and had my son and wasn't playing any music, oh, I just wanted to play music so bad!” Luckily, her mom and dad, Roger and Pearlie Price, believed in her talent and potential. “When I decided to get back into it, my father and mother both told me that they wanted me to do this, and for me not to worry a bit. And they helped me raise John. I would not have done it if not for them.

She lost her mother three years ago, but Dale Ann loves her dad's new wife, who is very supportive. “She sees that we have the help we need, and treats us just like her children. And when I'm going off for the weekend, she or Daddy are there on Friday to pick John up from school, and they keep him till I get back.”

A rigorous touring schedule keeps Dale Ann on the road quite regularly, criss-crossing the continent to perform. One of her favorite cities is San Francisco, where Coon Creek plays at least once a year for millionaire philanthropist and devoted bluegrass fan Warren Hellman.

“I love San Francisco,” she says with enthusiasm. “As you're flying in, you see the view of the Golden Gate, and it's awesome. And they have got the rule on fixing breakfast. People think the South does, but no, San Francisco's got the best breakfast in the world.”

Out on the road, Dale Ann indulges in one of her favorite pastimes: scouring local shops for the trinkets she collects. “I love to go to Goodwill stores and flea markets! Often, we're real crunched for time, but if we're staying on a strip where there's some flea markets, or even Dollar General stores, and we have time, I'm there!” she laughs heartily. “I raised my son on Dollar General. I don't know what I would have done without it.”

Dale Ann shares her late mother's passion for carnival glass and milk glass. “And I love whatnots. I love what some folks would consider junk. Certain pieces actually project a story. I look at cast-iron skillets and irons and think of my growing-up years in the mountains.”

Those trinkets will soon find a permanent home. Dale Ann is on the verge of buying a house in her adopted town. “We're about ready to close! It's on a little back street in a nice neighborhood. We hope to incorporate it into a music studio, with a place for the office, kinda like a music dwelling place. We're real excited about it.”

Berea is lucky to have a resident like Dale Ann, who has come to appreciate her community with the loyalty of a native. “All the people here have that sweet country disposition,” she says with true contentment. “Whether you're in a cow pasture or on Chestnut Street, you're gonna feel right at home.”

Visit Dale Ann on the Web at www.daleann.com.

Dale Ann's Rules for Good Musicianship

1. Put your practice time in to get everything as neat and clean in your music as you want it.
   
2. Always treat each gig as if it's as professional as your highest-esteemed gig, because they all mean that; they're all the same.
   
3. Always play what's in your heart. The songs that touch you will touch other people, if you're feeling them.
   

Dale Ann's Tips for Voice Care

1. I've always heard, and it's probably true, from my own personal experience, that you have to limit caffeine, at least the day you're going to sing.
   
2. Drink a lot of water: it will wash out a lot of what you're doing wrong!
   
3. Salt water is great. Take a nasal sprayer, and every once in a while, irrigate your nasal passages with salt water. It's very healing.
   
4. Sit-ups or crunches really help in controlling the volume and air from your diaphragm, and strengthen those muscles right there in the front. I don't do 'em much, though!