The Rick Dollar Show Podcast!

Shane Austin is a bluegrass guitar player from East Tennessee State University. He plays with Appalachian Trail and is a recipient of the Steve Gulley Scholarship. 9:20 PM

Multi-instrumentalist and singer-songwriter Darrell Scott mines and cultivates the everyday moment, taking the rote, menial, mundane, and allowing it to be surreal, ever poignant, and candidly honest, lilting, blooming, and resonating. The words he fosters allow us to make sense of the world, what is at stake here, and our place in it. And ultimately, Darrell knows the sole truth of life is that l...

Blue Highway Fest 2026 is coming October 8th through the 11th to beautiful Big Stone Gap, Virginia! And folks, this lineup is something special! You’ll hear Blue Highway, Rhonda Vincent & The Rage, Dailey & Vincent, Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver, The Seldom Scene, The Grascals, Junior Sisk & Ramblers Choice, Balsam Range, Authentic Unlimited, NewFound Road, The Cleverlys, High Fidelit...

Jamie “Grascal” Johnson is a respected bluegrass singer, guitarist, and songwriter best known as a founding member of The Grascals. His long friendship and musical partnership with country legend Dolly Parton led The Grascals to open for and perform as part of Dolly’s touring band, including her celebrated 2004–05 tour. Together, they have shared the stage, recorded music, and co-written songs tha...

Jim Pankey is a veteran bluegrass banjo player and educator from Chatsworth, Georgia, with nearly 50 years behind the instrument. His driving, tasteful style is rooted in the tradition of Earl Scruggs while shaped by decades of performing, teaching, and studying American roots music. Since 1977, Jim has been helping thousands of students worldwide master the 5-string banjo. Often called "The...

Summer Brook is a talented singer and entertainer best known as one half of Summer & Bray and as a member of the popular Mountain Faith Band . With her powerful vocals, genuine Appalachian roots, and engaging stage presence, Summer has become a recognizable name in the bluegrass, country, and Americana music communities. Summer and her family’s musical journey gained national attention when Mo...

Virginia-born country singer Spencer Hatcher is one of the emerging artists making his mark on today’s country music scene. With a deep appreciation for authentic country music and a growing presence on the national touring circuit, Hatcher is quickly becoming an artist to watch. Hatcher is currently touring with country music sensation Zach Top as well as legendary country star Hank Williams Jr....

From her beginnings in Wheeling, West Virginia, Carly Greer has emerged as one of the most exciting young voices in country and bluegrass music. Her musical journey began at just 12 years old when she co-wrote her first song,  "West Virginia Moonlight,"  with her mother. The song was later recorded in Nashville, launching a songwriting career that has since produced more than 300 origina...

Dr. Daniel Boner is a Professor and the Program Director of the Bluegrass, Old-Time, and Roots Music Studies at East Tennessee State University (ETSU). He earned his bachelor's degree in music from ETSU in 2006, where he was an active member of the ETSU Bluegrass Pride Band, performing at venues such as the Smithsonian Folklife Festival and touring internationally. ( aamearts.org ) After gradu...

Hopeless Holler is a dedicated print shop located in Advance, Indiana. We specialize in creating high-quality merchandise and apparel that resonates with musicians, fans alike, and everyone in between.  At Hopeless Holler, One Style Fits All.

Duane Hess has dedicated more than four decades to preserving and promoting traditional bluegrass, gospel, and classic country music through broadcasting, podcasting, and live performance. A lifelong advocate for America's acoustic music traditions, he has earned a reputation for his knowledge of bluegrass history, respect for its pioneers, and passion for introducing audiences to both legenda...

I was born January 6, 1950, in San Gabriel, California. Firstborn son of Ernest Jennings and Betty Jean Ford. In the years I've been alive I've been I've been a son, a brother, a cowhand, a rhythm guitarist, a dishwasher, a father, a teacher, a student, an actor, a singer, a con artist, a martial artist, a songwriter, an editor, a husband, a liar and a writer. It's fair to say that...

Since first hitting the scene in the early 1980’s, Alan has made a name for himself as one of the most creative and technically gifted mandolinists in bluegrass and acoustic music. He was an original member of the groundbreaking bands; The New Quicksilver, IIIrd Tyme Out, BlueRidge and for the last eight years the band Alan Bibey & Grasstowne. Alan won the SPBGMA “Mandolin Performer Of The Yea...

John Bryan is one of the premier young voices in bluegrass music, best known as lead vocalist and guitarist for The Grascals. Since joining the award-winning group in 2015, Bryan has helped carry forward the band's signature blend of traditional bluegrass, gospel, and country music while bringing his own distinctive vocal style and stage presence to audiences across the United States and aroun...

Thomas Claxton is an award-winning vocalist, songwriter, guitarist, concert producer, and entertainer based in Savannah, Georgia. Known for his powerful voice, dynamic stage presence, and unwavering dedication to live music, Claxton has built a reputation as one of the Southeast’s most versatile and respected independent musicians. Over the course of his career, he has performed hundreds of shows...

Kristin Scott Benson is the seven-time International Bluegrass Music Association’s Banjo Player of the Year, recipient of the 2018 Steve Martin Prize for Excellence in Banjo and Bluegrass, and 2024 inductee into the American Banjo Hall of Fame.   Since 2008, she has been a member of Grammy-nominated and two-time IBMA Entertainers of the Year, The Grascals.  Kristin is one of the nation's top b...

For over two decades, NewFound Road has been known for powerful harmonies, world-class musicianship, and songs that reach deep into the heart of American roots music. Founded in 2001, the band quickly carved out a reputation as one of the most dynamic groups in bluegrass and acoustic music. With a sound built on soulful vocals, tight arrangements, and instrumental firepower, NewFound Road became a...

Katelyn is the last founding member and now manager of Backline. She has grown up around bluegrass music her entire life. Her dad, David Mabry, sang and played banjo for 19 years with the King James Boys. He wrote a lot of gospel music that they performed through those years.  She began playing guitar at age, 5 but put it down until she was age 10. From 10 years old and on, she began to work hard...

Dan Tyminski was six years old when his parents began taking him to fiddle contests, square dances, and bluegrass festivals across New England. For a young musician who would later become one of the biggest names in modern-day bluegrass, those early experiences were life changing. “Watching live music always spoke to me much louder than sitting in front of my record player,” he remembers. “I loved...

Muriel Anderson  is renowned for her expertise on the 20-string harp-guitar, yet it is her gentle sense of humor and uplifting melodies that leave her audience smiling. Guitar Player Magazine lists her as one of the 50 noteworthy guitarists of all time. She has been listed among the top ten female guitarists, and is the first woman to win the National Fingerstyle Guitar Championship.  She has reco...

The Sullivan Sisters have dazzled audiences since childhood with their unique blend of fast bluegrass picking and captivating sibling harmonies, with music ranging from lyrical originals to timeless folk classics to blazing instrumentals. Inspired by the bluegrass community in North Carolina where they were born and raised, Soraya and Lucaya began taking guitar and banjo lessons at ages 8 and 6. T...

Jet Poindexter Hatu is an entrepreneur, community leader, and lifelong lover of bluegrass music whose roots run deeper than most. Raised on the road, Jet grew up traveling on a tour bus with her father—a professional banjo player—immersed in the heart of the bluegrass scene from an early age. Now as an adult, she’s come full circle, reconnecting with that foundation and sharing her passion in a mo...

There’s no question that grassers these days have a plethora of incredible talent in the genre to model their skills and talents after. One name that has remained at the top of that list for many years and shows no sign of slowing down is the unparalleled banjo starlet and sweet songstress, Gena Britt. There are few in the business today that can come close to matching Gena’s stout banjo drive or...

Tyler Griffith is an emerging voice in modern bluegrass, blending deep-rooted tradition with a fresh, authentic edge. Raised on the sounds of classic Appalachian music, Griffith developed a passion for the genre at an early age, drawing inspiration from the pioneers of bluegrass while carving out a style uniquely his own. A skilled multi-instrumentalist and compelling vocalist, Griffith is known f...

Celebrating the milestone of 10 seasons on Discovery Channel’s hit series, “Moonshiners”, comedian Killer Beaz is running the roads delivering his new “Best Buzz in Town” tour of outrageously funny standup comedy.  This legendary comedian continues to make regular performances at The Grand Ole Opry, and is headed to a city near you, loaded down with laughs.  Killer Beaz has his own, unique brand o...