In this bonus episode we're celebrating Tony Rice's best loved albums….as voted for by you! I put out a poll over my social channels as well as some popular Facebook groups and subreddits and collated all the responses. The rules were simple – just pick one album each for these 3 categories: 1. Tony Rice/Tony…
Read MoreMy guest this week is Alex Graf and we're talking all things Manzanita. Alex made the shift from a more jazz based background to flatpicking a few years ago and Tony Rice's Manzanita became one of the absolute cornerstone records for him on that journey. We talk about why it became so important, what Alex…
Read MoreWelcome to the 500th episode of Bluegrass Jam Along! My guest this week is Trey Hensley, who joins me to celebrate the very first record he bought – Flatt and Scruggs at Carnegie Hall. This historic album was a pivotal moment for bluegrass and also served as a personal intro to the music for many…
Read MoreMy guest this week is David Grier, who joins me to celebrate the classic album 'The White Brothers – Live in Sweden' (recently remastered and reissued in an expanded form as 'The New Kentucky Colonels – Live in Sweden'). We talk about what makes this recording special, including the fact it was recorded live and…
Read MoreMy guest this week is Ben Garnett, chatting about his superb new record 'Kite's Keep'. The album features a core band of Ben, Brittany Haas and Ethan Jodziewicz, with guest appearances from Darol Anger, Paul Kowert and Chris Eldridge. We talk about Ben's background, initially in electric guitar, and the influence his cousin Andy Timmons…
Read MoreMy guest this week is Bob Minner and we're celebrating one of the most iconic flatpicking records of all time – Norman Blake's 'Whiskey Before Breakfast'. We chat about Bob first hearing this record and why he loves it so much; its place in the flatpicking repertoire; the gear Norman used (including guitars, picks and…
Read MoreThis Bitesize episode features a conversation I had with Wyatt Rice for a set of episodes in 2023 to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Tony Rice's 'Church Street Blues' album. Wyatt talks about his experience of playing on the sessions aged just 17, hanging out with Tony, the first time he saw an Ovation guitar…
Read MoreMy guest this week is guitarist Jake Workman. Jake joins me to talk about his recently ended 9 year run with Ricky Skaggs and Kentucky Thunder, including a great story about how he got the gig, what he learned from playing with Ricky, why rhythm guitar is so important in that role and why now…
Read MoreMy guest this week is Charlotte Carrivick. Charlotte is one of my favourite guitarists, so I'm delighted she's back on the podcast to talk about her new record Sensible or Otherwise. We chat about why, despite having written tunes for years, it took so long to make an instrumental record; the new guitar she commissioned for…
Read MoreThis week I'm joined by bluegrass legend Bryan Sutton for a very special episode to benefit the IBMA Trust Fund and help people suffering the devastation of Hurricane Helene. In the run up to recording the episode we asked for questions for Bryan for Bluegrass Jam Along listeners – in this interview you'll hear me…
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