Isaac Stroupe began playing mandolin at age 5 is his family’s bluegrass band in Gaston County, North Carolina before discovering the music of 78rpm records, taking up guitar, and intensely studying the styles of rural guitarists of the 1920s and ’30s. Using these styles as […]
A devoted student of traditional string band styles and repertoires, Van Burchfield has studied and performed old time string band music for over a decade on guitar, banjo, and fiddle. Born and raised in South Carolina, he currently makes his home in Nashville, TN.
Sarah Adams grew up playing music in Dahlonega, Georgia. She was one of the first students to participate in the Georgia Pick & Bow Traditional Music School program, learning and later teaching mandolin, and performed regularly with her brother and sister throughout north Georgia. After […]
Brennan Breed teaches mandolin and fiddle at the Frank Hamilton School in Decatur, Georgia, and plays in the local bluegrass bands The Hot Dill Pickers and What Showed Up, as well as the old time group Tippin’ Back the Corn. He enjoys improvisation and music […]
T-Claw Crawford is a dance caller, musician, and community organizer. Growing up in Nashville, TN, he played punk rock and jazz until he heard old time string music. He has toured by bicycle across 8 states and New Zealand by mini-van with the old time […]
Marilyn Nonken is a music historian, pianist, Professor of Music, and Chair of the Department of Music and Performing Professor of Music at New York University’s Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development. Her research and performance projects engage with the evolution of contemporary […]
The Ozark Highballers are a three-to-four piece string band from Fayetteville, Arkansas. Since 2014 the Ozark Highballers have brought their music to square dances, farmers markets, festivals, workshops, as well as plain old street corners and front porches. Their music reflects the spirit and drive […]
Pura Coco, a rising star in the music world, brings a fiery passion to her unique blend of alternative R&B. With a background steeped in Latin culture and a southern upbringing, Pura Coco’s music is a melting pot of influences that create a sound all […]
Nate Olson is the Academic Director of the Bluegrass, Old-Time, and Roots Music Studies program at East Tennessee State University, where he teaches bluegrass and progressive acoustic bands, music theory, career seminars, private lessons, and teacher education courses. He earned his doctorate in music education […]
Affectionately known as “Professor E.J.”, Emmanuel Stokes serves as the Assistant Professor of Music History and Literature at Berea College. He directs the award-winning Berea College Black Music Ensemble, a sixty voice choir dedicated to the performance and preservation of African American gospel and sacred […]