One of the most enduringly successful holiday tours in acoustic music is surely Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder Christmas. Popular over many years, like his Ricky Skaggs Family Christmas shows, the band brings a fresh bluegrass feel to a slate of Christmas favorites, along with holiday songs Ricky has recorded over the years.

The show will offer interpretations of seasonal classics like Christmas Time’s A Comin’, New Star Shining, Let It Snow, and Mary, Did You Know?, plus instrumental arrangements of Deck the Halls, Ancient Christmas Tones, and Icy Vine Grove. Skaggs and his wickedly hot band will also take a step back for several sing-alongs on Joy to the World and Silver Bells.

The tour starts in early December and runs just over a week, stopping at a number of southeastern states next month.

Included for the 2025 season are:

• December 4 – Philadelphia, MS – Marty Stuart’s Congress of Country Music / Ellis Theater
• December 5 – Owensboro, KY – Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame & Museum / Woodward Theatre
• December 6 – Steelville, MO – Meramec Music Theatre
• December 7 – Nashville, TN – The Fisher Center at Belmont University
• December 8 – Birmingham, AL – Lyric Theatre
• December 11 – Nashville, IN – Brown County Music Center
• December 12 – Cincinnati, OH – Memorial Hall OTR
• December 13 – Bristol, VA – Hard Rock Live Bristol

Tickets for this show always go quickly, so make your plans soon.

You can check out all the Christmas bluegrass we have covered at Bluegrass Today by following this link.

The post Ricky Skaggs Christmas tour rides again appeared first on Bluegrass Today.

Next Tuesday, November 25, Little Roy & Lizzy will host the 50th anniversary of their annual Thanksgiving Pickin’ in Lincolnton, GA. Now held at Smith Hardware, the open jam has been hosted at various locations over the past few years.

Little Roy explained…

“It started at a hunting club, then moved to other places including a clubhouse, the old high school auditorium, a store, and a cafe. After that, we moved to Smith Hardware. That’s where we have it now.  

They move all the feed and everything out for us so we have plenty of room. We could seat 1,000. You can’t never tell who’s gonna show up. People come from as far away as North Carolina and Alabama. They set up a PA system.

Oh, it’s good. It’s fun!”

Lizzy shared her history with their hometown jam.

“This is the first jam I ever attended when I started. Those original pickers helped me more than anything: Jimmy Adkins, Emory Ware, Jimmy Phillips, Steve Snider, Terrie Campbell, Doug Flowers, and many others, and of course, Lil Pap [Little Roy].

It has been something to see pickers get started just like myself through this jam.”

Smith Hardware is located on 655 Elm Street in downtown Lincolnton, Georgia. The event is free to the public and all pickers are welcome. Food and drink are available with donation. The festivities get underway at 7:00 p.m.

The post 50th anniversary Thanksgiving Pickin’ with Little Roy & Lizzy appeared first on Bluegrass Today.

Chris Davis Band debuts at Years of Farming (11/9/25) – photo © Bill Warren

The past ten days has been a whirlwind of bluegrass activity.

It all started Halloween night when Kevin Prater made his annual trek to the Kentuckians of Michigan in Romulus, Michigan.

Kevin is approaching his 17^th year leading the band. For 12 years before that he was with the James King Band. Kevin has surrounded himself with talented young musicians. He plays a lot of shows, so see him if he is in your area.

November 8 took the Candidpix.info cameras to the Masonic Lodge in Madison Heights, Michigan. The Powdermill Ramblers entertained. This is a band of well-seasoned Michigan bluegrass artists They have all played in many different configurations through the years. Most of them played in Wendy Smith’s band Blue Velvet, and the 92-year-old Smith was on hand to enjoy the music. The band honored Wendy with a couple of tunes he has written including Caroline the Teenage Queen.

Bright and early Sunday morning we pointed the car toward Flemingsburg, Kentucky, where Paula Hinton has realized her dream. 14 years and 114 shows later the results of that dream can be seen. She calls her endeavor the Years of Farming Bluegrass Show. The venue holds 300 people and Paula’s goal is to sell out every show. They are backed by nearly 50 sponsors!

This show was kicked off by southern Ohio’s Uniontown. The band is lead by veteran singer and promoter, Seth Carkeek. He has two Morehead Music Ambassadors anchoring the band. They play many festivals throughout the mid-west. Seth said, “It’s Sunday afternoon. I’m playing bluegrass. What could be better?!”

The main show was the debut of the Chris Davis Band. Chris has been a top-notch sideman for nearly 25 years. When Joe Mullins announced his retirement from traveling the road, Chris decided it was time for him to step forward. Radio Ramblers bandmate, Zach Collier joins Chris on bass. Swanagan Ray and Andy Teno round out the band.

Chris is the third of four generations of bluegrass musicians. His grandfather was a fiddler. His dad played bass for Dr. Ralph Stanley. His son Gibson is a touring banjo picker as well.

To say Chris was nervous would be an understatement. He and the band pulled everything together and did two great sets of music. All four band members can sing lead. This makes for great variety in the show.

Chris’ dad, Danny Davis, an avid deer hunter came out of the woods for his son’s band debut! He joined the band for a couple tunes. It’s always a treat to hear Danny sing.

Chris has a lot of dates booked for 2026. You will enjoy this band! 

Allen “Styx” Hicks was on hand to video this show. He is a long time fixture in mid-western bluegrass.

Years of Farming’s next show is December 7 with Lonesome Express opening for Larry Cordle.

Support your local music venues.

The post Years of Farming Bluegrass Show and more appeared first on Bluegrass Today.

What began as a harmless case of missing snacks has now escalated into what experts are calling “the most Appalachian feud since the Hatfields and McCoys switched to decaf.”

The self-proclaimed “music phenomenon” known as The Cleverlys, along with Darren Nicholson of The Darren Nicholson Band and Caleb Smith of Balsam Range, are once again at odds — just in time for their shared appearance at the Balsam Range Art of Music Festival, December 5–6, in picturesque Lake Junaluska, North Carolina.

It all started years ago when Dr. Digger Cleverly, patriarch of the parody-bluegrass dynasty, accused Darren Nicholson (then a member of Balsam Range) of “living in the band van and stealing all the good snacks.” The alleged loot? Cheetos, Kit-Kats, corn (source unverified), and — the ultimate betrayal — double-dipping the Nutella in peanut butter.

Things took a darker (and smellier) turn when Digger reportedly mailed a Whitman’s Sampler box filled with animal feces to the Balsam Range camp. Sources close to both bands say the “gift really stunk up relations for a while.”

 

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by Darren Nicholson (@darrennicholsonmusic)

A short-lived truce was brokered by Sammy Shelor of Lonesome River Band, but peace went down the drain — literally — when a plunger was presented on stage at a later festival appearance.

Now, with all groups slated to share the same stage once more this December, tensions are high and the banjos are tuned for battle. Digger recently reignited the feud by referring to Darren as a “rabid hepatitis monkey with COVID.” Darren, visibly offended, fired back by mocking Digger’s hair — an act widely regarded as “below the belt but historically justified.”

 

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by The Cleverlys (@thecleverlysofficial)

Meanwhile, Caleb Smith has been accused of mailing Digger “an ugly stage dress to match his hair,” while Digger has begun circulating rumors that Darren underwent plastic surgery — including a Brazilian Butt Lift. Nicholson responded with shocking allegations involving the good doctor and some innocent sheep…. Things are getting quite heated.

 

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by The Cleverlys (@thecleverlysofficial)

 

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by Darren Nicholson (@darrennicholsonmusic)

When reached for comment, Digger said, “I only speak the truth — even when I have to make it up.” Darren replied, “I ain’t saying it’s true… but if I did have one, it’d be the best-looking butt in bluegrass.”

Festival organizers urge fans to “come for the music, stay for the drama,” while reminding attendees that security will confiscate all plungers, Nutella jars, and suspicious candy boxes at the gate.

The Balsam Range Art of Music Festival runs December 5–6, 2025, at Lake Junaluska, NC. Witness the bluegrass showdown of the decade — live, loud, and possibly messy.

The post Them’s Fightin’ Words! Feud re-erupts among bluegrass stars appeared first on Bluegrass Today.

Mair Meyer as Poison Ivy with Molly Tuttle at Hulaween 2025 – photo © Corey Johnson-Erday

Many thanks to Corey Johnson-Erday with Tune Ridge Media for sharing this gallery of images he took during Hulaween 2025 at Spirit of the Suwannee Music Park in Live Oak, FL.

Hulaween is a giant Halloween party featuring music from all sorts of jam bands and alt-culture entertainers, always including bluegrass and bluegrass adjacent acts on the bill. Performing this year, and pictured below, were Sierra Hull, Molly Tuttle, and The Infamous Stringdusters.

The post Photos from Hulaween 2025 appeared first on Bluegrass Today.

North Carolina’s Asheville Mountain Boys have a big month planned. They have a new single to share, Flood of 1916, and are gearing up for a barnstorming 12-show tour of Japan.

First, the music. Flood of 1916 tells of a tragedy similar to the one that wreaked such havoc on Asheville, and the Appalachian region in general, during September 2024. But Zeb Gambil, who plays mandolin and sings this one with the Boys, says that they set out to share this story prior to the most recent flooding.

“Flood of 1916 is a bluegrass song about the hurricane of 1916, which left a lasting mark on western North Carolina. We wrote and recorded it to tell the story of the people who lived through it, and preserve a piece of the region’s history. The song was completed just before Hurricane Helene struck in 2024, a stark reminder that history can repeat itself. We put it on hold in the aftermath, but we’re now ready to release this original song and share the story of a similar catastrophe from over a century ago.”

The recording also features Gambil’s bandmates John Duncan on banjo and fiddle, Jacob Brewer on bass, and Marshal Brown on guitar, who also adds a harmony vocal.

Check it out.

The Flood of 1916 is available now from popular download and streaming services online, and to radio programmers via Get It Played.

The Asheville Mountain Boys’ tour of Japan begins November 21 with a show at the fabled Rocky Top Bar in the Chou City region of Tokyo. It is bookended by a final show there as well on December 7, with visits in between to Osaka, Kyoto, Sendai, Sapporo, and several other spots over three weeks time.

Banjoist Duncan shared that the history of US bands playing in Japan has affected them all deeply.

“The Ralph Stanley recordings from the ’70s, and then J.D. Crowe’s famous 1975 tour over there, that stuff is legendary. In the band, we’ve all listened to it for forever—the bootlegs from back then and the official albums that exist, too.”

Now they are set to join the many bluegrass artists sharing traditional bluegrass with Japanese fans.

Full details on their tour dates can be found online.

The post Flood of 1916 from Asheville Mountain Boys, plus Japanese tour coming up appeared first on Bluegrass Today.

Most serious fans and students of Appalachian music are familiar with the phenomenon known as “The Bristol Sessions,” a series of seminal recordings that first captured artists in the Blue Ridge region. These occurred when Ralph Peer brought remote recording equipment to a hotel in Bristol, TN in 1927. Important artists like Jimmie Rodgers, Ernest Stoneman, and The Carter Family traveled to Bristol to make these recordings, which was far more convenient than traveling to New York as had been necessary previously.

But far fewer are fully aware of an earlier Ralph Peer visit to the Appalachian region in August of 1925, when he brought his Victor Talking Machine Company gear to the then brand new George Vanderbilt Hotel in downtown Asheville, NC. He recorded artists there for ten days, including Bascom Lamar Lunsford, J.D. Harris, J.D. Weaver, Ernest Helton, Wade Ward, and several others. Pop Stoneman, living in Asheville at the time, also participated.

This week Asheville is hosting events celebrating the 100th anniversary of these sessions, the first ever commercial recordings made in Appalachia and the first of any kind in North Carolina. Their line in celebrating The Asheville Sessions is, “If The Bristol Sessions was the big bang of country music, The Asheville Sessions lit the fuse.”

From November 6-9, a variety of remembrances and celebrations will be held in town, including a pair of day-long symposia and panel discussions, as well as four different concerts:

• November 7 – Ketch Secor with Nest of Singing Birds plus Jesse Smathers
• November 8 – Darin & Brooke Aldridge and Warren Wilson Bands
• November 8 – River Whyless, Tyler Ramsey, Toubab Krewe plus Floating Action
• November 9 – Songs From the Road with Zoe & Cloyd and Newfound Gap

These are hosted at different locations in the greater Asheville area. Some events are free of charge, while others are ticketed. You can see all those details online.

There is an also a remastered set of the recordings from August 1925, available on CD, vinyl, or lossless digital download. Titled Music From the Land of the Sky, it includes 28 selections, running to 84 minutes of music. The CD ships with a 128-page booklet, reduced to 24 pages with the LP.

The Asheville Sessions web site has information about accommodations and other things to do when visiting their city.

This will be a big time in Asheville, NC. The city and its people welcome all visitors to enjoy the music and history on display, and see how well they have recovered from the flooding of 2024.

The post The Asheville Sessions – celebrating a forgotten first appeared first on Bluegrass Today.

Big Lick Bluegrass Festival, one of the first outdoor music events of the year in central North Carolina, welcomes a new host band, Authentic Unlimited. The award winning group will be replacing Sideline who served as the festival’s headliner since 2023, but has retired from the road.

Festival promoter, Jeff Branch, expressed…

“First of all, I would like to thank Steve Dilling and Sideline for all their hard work over the years hosting the Big Lick Bluegrass Festival. Steve and I have celebrated our birthdays the same day and our friendship will always continue.

I am excited to have Authentic Unlimited as host for  this festival. I got started with their old boss, Doyle Lawson, being his MC at Denton. Now his former band mates are circling back and working with me on my own festival.”

Steve Dilling responded….

“We took our job seriously as a host band for the festival. We did everything within our power to entertain the audience whether we were on stage playing, or off stage hosting activities. Thanks to Jeff Branch and all the staff for being so good to us. We are happy to hear that Authentic Unlimited is going to take over as host of the Big Lick festival. We wish them well; I’m sure they will be fantastic!”

Skip Cherryholmes, Sideline lead guitarist and Dilling’s son-in-law, added…

“Most of a bluegrass entertainer’s life is spent traveling from one city to the next, night after night. Having a multi-day festival so close to home – surrounded by friends and family – made us feel so embraced and loved, and pushed us to give it our all.

I’m thankful to all of our fans that traveled from the far corners of the earth to join us at Big Lick and be a part of something special! I want to thank our many Sideline brothers and band mates that joined us in working hard for our fans!

Thank you to Jeff for his commitment to producing excellent entertainment in North Carolina for so many years, and for always making us feel welcome and at home!”

Authentic Unlimited is excited to carry on the tradition set by Sideline.

AU’s banjoist, Eli Johnston, said…

“What an honor and a privilege to be asked to host Big Lick bluegrass festival. We cherish our friendship with promoter Jeff Branch who has always been a huge supporter of our group. Y’all better get ready for a big weekend in Oakboro. We love you, North Carolina!!!”

Big Lick Bluegrass Festival near Oakboro, NC, is slated for April 16-18, 2026. In addition to Authentic Unlimited, the festival will include such great performers as the Lonesome River Band, the Grascals, the Seldom Scene, and Southern Legacy to name a few.

Big Lick Bluegrass Festival is located at 722 South Oakridge Road in Oakboro, NC. Camping reservations open on February 1, 2026. For more information, visit their website.

The post Big Lick Bluegrass Festival welcomes Authentic Unlimited as host band appeared first on Bluegrass Today.

Russell Moore & IIIrd Tyme Out at Talladega – photo © Tracy Curvin

A little over three years ago, the Curvin sisters, Tracy and Dana, approached family friend Edgar Loudermilk about hosting a festival as a memorial to their deceased father, Paul Curvin. Paul who was well known in Alabama music circles as a fingerstyle guitarist, had also recorded on one of Loudermilk’s projects a few years earlier. This past weekend, Edgar and the Curvin sisters wrapped up their 3rd annual Talladega Bluegrass & Fingerstyle Guitar Festival.

It’s said that the “third time’s the charm,” and this one hit all the marks. Record-breaking sponsor donations, stellar talent, and perfect weather. The icing on the cake this year was the return to the stage of Russell Moore & IIIrd Tyme Out. If that wasn’t enough, Russell invited former IIIrd Tyme Out bandmates Justen Haynes (fiddle) and Edgar Loudermilk (bass) to join them for a guest appearance at Talladega.

The Talladega Bluegrass & Fingerstyle Guitar Festival was also proud to include acclaimed fingerstyle guitarist Jonathan Brown. Brown has been recognized for his musicianship on the television show, Nashville. Brown entertained the crowd with what the Curvin sisters call “all of Daddy’s favorite songs.” Jonathan has definitely found a following with the Curvin family, whose love of fingerstyle guitar playing runs deep in Alabama.

Also wowing the crowd this weekend, were fan favorites Shannon Slaughter, Fast Track, Backline, Caroline Owens & New Co., Edgar Loudermilk Band, Bent Creek, Alan Wilson, Beyond Blessed, and Chandler Ayers.

Edgar and the Curvin sisters are busy making plans for next year’s event. Stay tuned!

The post 2025 Talladega Bluegrass & Fingerstyle Guitar Festival report appeared first on Bluegrass Today.

Lonesome River Band at the 2025 Bluegrass Island Festival – photo © David Kuehner

Many thanks to photographer David Kuehner for sharing these images he captured at the recent Bluegrass Island Music Festival, held October 16-18 on North Carolina’s Outer Banks.

The post Photos from the 2025 Bluegrass Island Music Festival appeared first on Bluegrass Today.