Columns

State Of The Union™ <--- click here!
"State Of The Union" provides an opportunity for the significant others of professional bluegrass musicians to share their insights, observations, and experience with fans.

• Dreama Stephenson (wife of Larry Stephenson of The Larry Stephenson Band)
  on IMAGE, January 2003
  
• Carol Moore (wife of Russell Moore of IIIrd Tyme Out)
  on STARTING A MUSIC COMPANY, February 2003
  
• Leon Copsey (husband of Polly Lewis Copsey of the Lewis Family)
  on HOW TO BE A RIGHT-HAND MAN, March 2003
• Teresa Brewster (wife of Paul Brewster of Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder)
  on HOMESCHOOLING, April 2003
  
• Ben Surratt (husband of bassist Missy Raines)
  on LIFE WITH MISSY, May 2003
  
• Joan Wernick (wife of Pete "Dr. Banjo" Wernick)
  on COMMITMENT AND RESPECT, June 2003
  
• Garry West (husband of banjoist Alison Brown)
  on PARTNERSHIP, July 2003
  
• Debbie Gulley (wife of Steve Gulley of Mountain Heart)
  on CONTENTMENT, August 2003
  
• Tina Rigsby (wife of Don Rigsby of Rock County)
  on CHANGE, September 2003
  
• Meredith Bub (wife of Mike Bub of the Del McCoury Band)
  on HER JOB, October 2003
  
• Bette Berline (wife of fiddler Byron Berline)
  on COMPATIBILITY, December 2003
  
• Suzanne Lawson (wife of Doyle Lawson of Quicksilver)
  on THE BUSINESS OF MUSIC, January 2004
  
• Sherrie Graham (wife of Randy Graham of Continental Divide)
  on STAYING IN TOUCH, February 2004
  
• Garnet Imes Bowman (wife of singer Ronnie Bowman)
  on SINGING WITH RONNIE, March 2004
  
• Tim Tew (husband of banjoist Gena Britt)
  on LOYALTY & SUPPORT, April 2004
  
• Debbie Mills (wife of Allen Mills of The Lost & Found)
  on FAMILY SUPPORT, May 2004
  
• Tammy Harman (wife of guitarist Bull Harman)
  on GETTING RESULTS AT THE WORLD OF BLUEGRASS, June 2004
  
• Johnny Williams (husband of singer Jeanette Williams)
  on BEING A PRACTICAL MAN, July 2004
  
• Lisa McCoury (wife of Rob McCoury of the Del McCoury Band)
  on LIVING IN THE PUBLIC EYE, August 2004
  
• Melanie Raybon (wife of Marty Raybon)
  on TRUST AND INDEPENDENCE, September 2004
  
• Herb Sandker (husband of Rhonda Vincent)
  BEHIND THE SCENES, October 2004
  
• Earl Phillips (husband of Janis Lewis of the Lewis Family)
  on FINANCIAL MATTERS, December 2004
  
• Heidi Huber (wife of Steve Huber of Huber Banjos)
  on IDENTITY, February 2005
  
• Sally Gray (wife of bassist Tom Gray)
  on ROOTS, March 2005
  
• Helen Forster (wife of bassist Nick Forster of Hot Rize)
  on CONNECTING, April 2005
  
• Tom Langdon (husband of mandolinist Lorraine Jordan of Carolina Road)
  on HIS TIME TO HELP, May 2005
  

• OffStage with Rhonda Vincent, February 2002
  
• OffStage with Ricky & Sharon White Skaggs, March 2002
  
• OffStage with Tony Rice, April 2002
  
• OffStage with the Shankman Twins, May 2002
  
• OffStage with Little Roy Lewis, June 2002
  
• OffStage with Lynn Morris & Marshall Wilborn, July 2002
  
• OffStage with Del McCoury, August 2002
  
• OffStage with Laurie Lewis, September 2002
  
• OffStage with Mark Newton, October 2002
  
• OffStage with Honi & Jeff Deaton, November 2002
  
• OffStage with Sam Bush, December 2002
  
• OffStage with Casey Driessen, January 2003
  
• OffStage with Ron Thomason, February 2003
  
• OffStage with Dale Ann Bradley, March 2003
  
• OffStage with Kathy Kallick, April 2003
  
• OffStage with Tony Trischka, May 2003
  
• OffStage with Larry Cordle, June 2003
  
• OffStage with Tim O'Brien, July 2003
  
• OffStage with Kathy Chiavola, August 2003
  
• OffStage with Mike Marshall, September 2003
  
• OffStage with Dan Tyminski, October 2003
  
• OffStage with Mark Schatz, December 2003
  
• OffStage with Mac Wiseman, January 2004
  
• OffStage with Eddie & Martha Adcock, February 2004
  
• OffStage with Dan Crary, March 2004
  
• OffStage with Kim Fox, April 2004
  
• OffStage with Alan Munde, May 2004
  
• OffStage with John & Becky Isaacs Bowman, June 2004
  
• OffStage with Saburo Watanabe, July 2004
  
• OffStage with James Reams, August 2004
  
• OffStage with Robin & Linda Williams, September 2004
  
• OffStage with Tim Stafford, October 2004
  
• OffStage with Josh Williams, December 2004
  
• OffStage with Dean Osborne, February 2005
  
• OffStage with Becky Buller, March 2005
  
• OffStage with Bobby Hicks, April 2005
  
• OffStage with Emery Lester, May 2005
  

Bluegrass Unlimited

In December 2002, I had the honor of being published again in Bluegrass Unlimited, one of the oldest and most respected publications in the bluegrass music world. My first story for BU, about South Carolina promoter Jennings Chestnut, appeared in the May 2001 issue. The December 2002 issue included my story on superguitarists Dan Crary and Beppe Gambetta and a roundup of "Desert Island" discs that various bluegrass professionals would most like to have with them if they were to become stranded on a tropical shoal. These articles are collected here now, including an unabridged version of the Desert Island disc article with dozens of photos that didn't make it into the print edition.

• Jennings Chestnut: Straight All The Way,
  May 2001
  
• Bluegrass Unlimited's First-Ever Desert Island CD Survey,
  December 2002
  
• Crary and Gambetta: Steel String Ambassadors,
  December 2002
  

• Procedural memo for direct mail campaign
  
• Procedural FAQs for checking acquisition campaign
  
• Direct mail manual for new accounts personnel