Walls of Time: Bluegrass Podcast

In this second episode of our "Industrial Strength Bluegrass" season of Walls of Time, we pick back up with Fred Bartenstein at his home in Yellow Springs, OH. Fred was about to share "the quintessential Carlton Haney story" (trust us, you have to hear it!). Fred also discusses working in New York City with the Greenbriar Boys and the time he spent in the Big Apple with Joe & Lily Isaacs. He a...

In this inaugural episode of our "Industrial Strength Bluegrass" season of Walls of Time, we sit down with Fred Bartenstein at his home in Yellow Springs, OH. Fred is one of the editors of the book Industrial Strength Bluegrass: Southwestern Ohio's Musical Legacy for University of Illinois Press, so he had to be our first guest this season. We start off our conversation, by learning what exactly i...

Season 4 is almost here! Catch this exclusive sneak peek of our first "themed" season of Walls of Time: Bluegrass Podcast. We will be diving deep into the stories of "industrial strength bluegrass", learning more about southwestern Ohio's impact on bluegrass history. This special season of Walls of Time is brought to you by the Greene County Public Libraries of Greene County, OH. Learn more at gre...

  In Part Two of our conversation with Ken Irwin & Marian Leighton Levy, we continue diving in to the fifty-plus year history of Rounder Records, which they helped found alongside Bill Nowlin. They tell us why J.D. Crowe & The New South's 1975 release (Rounder 0044) was so pivotal for the aspiring label (and so unlikely as well). Ken also takes us to the exact moment he first heard the voi...

  The story of Rounder Records is one of the most unlikely success stories in American roots music. Two of the historic record label's three founders, Ken Irwin & Marian Leighton Levy join us to tell the tale in this extensive, in-depth, two-part interview. We learn how this set of outlaw romantics journeyed from the counter-culture to the Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame, and learn many lessons a...

Jeremy & Corrina Stephens are truly old souls. They both seek a deeper understanding of their shared passions: traditional music and their faith. Both are uber-talented multi-instrumentalists with an immense knowledge of the music of early roots music pioneers such as Reno & Smiley, Jim & Jesse, The Chuck Wagon Gang, Charlie Monroe, Fred Rose, and more, which is evident in the style of...

Tammy Rogers King is a founder of the Grammy award-winning band, The Steeldrivers. Known for her fiddling, singing, and songwriting, her musical journey includes touring with Patty Loveless, working as a Nashville songwriter, and making music with Dusty Miller in the late 80's/early 90's. In this interview, she sits down backstage on a Saturday night at SamJam Bluegrass Festival in Piketon, OH, an...

Dubbed "The Sweethearts of Bluegrass", Darin & Brooke Aldridge are a strong couple -- both in music and in marriage. Growing up in the same region of North Carolina, they met through mutual friends and bonded over a mutual interest in bluegrass. Recorded in a hotel room in the fall of 2021 in Wilkesboro, NC, Darin and Brooke discuss how their love blossomed, Darin's early days with Charlie Wal...

  Jamie Dailey is a ball of energy, both on stage and off. After making some legendary music with Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver, he formed the award-winning Dailey & Vincent with Darrin Vincent. For over fifteen years, they have found immense success in bluegrass and beyond. Dailey & Vincent host their own television show and were made members of the Grand Ole Opry in 2017.   In August of...

We are posting this episode on what would have been J.D. Crowe's 85th birthday. He was a dear friend of the podcast, and was our special guest on our first two episodes. J.D. Crowe passed away on December 24th, 2021. His friend and former lead guitarist, Tony Rice passed away 364 days earlier on December 25th, 2020. In the days following Tony's passing, Daniel Mullins interviewed J.D. Crowe about...

Bill Emerson was a banjo giant, whose work with Jimmy Martin & The Sunny Mountain Boys, The Country Gentlemen, Emerson & Waldron, and more, resulted in his 2019 induction into the Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame. His impeccable playing, innovative spirit, and pleasant demeanor, made this southern gentleman a beloved figure in bluegrass music. This interview was recorded the day after his Hall...

A member of the Grand Ole Opry and the Bluegrass Hall of Fame, Del McCoury has one of the most distinctive voices in all of roots music. With The Del McCoury Band, he has led one of the most successful bluegrass bands of all time, bringing the high lonesome sound to new places and new heights. Del sits down with Daniel Mullins at the Dayton Art Institute to talk about his legendary career. From hi...

From the Ozark hills to the Grand Ole Opry, CJ Lewandowski and his band The Po Ramblin Boys are a bluegrass success story who have taken their traditional sound to new audiences. Daniel Mullins sits down with  CJ in Nashville at the 2020 SPBGMA convention in Nashville to talk about CJ’s introduction to music, his fascination with the mandolin and first generation of bluegrass artists, and about hi...

Russell Moore is IBMA’s most-awarded Male Vocalist and leader of the award-winning band, IIIrd Tyme Out. Here in Part 2 of his interview with Daniel Mullins, Russell recounts his journey from sideman to band leader, and the journey in-between. He talks about his favorite moments in music, as well as the songs that made his career, and band, stand out among others in the genre. Listen to Russell ta...

As the most awarded male vocalist in bluegrass, Russell Moore has earned a pedigree as a lead singer and guitarist from the biggest artists in the industry. Still at the top of his game, Russell continues to record and perform with his award-winning band, Russell Moore and IIIrd Tyme Out. Here in Part 1 of a two-part interview with host Daniel Mullins, recorded in Columbus, OH at Musicians Against...

A renaissance woman of bluegrass, Andrea Roberts has led the life of a musician with the trailblazing, all-female group, Petticoat Junction, as well as one of manager, promoter, and talent agent for some of bluegrass music's most well-known artists. She is the wife of mandolin player, Danny Roberts of The Grascals, and mother to up-and-coming artist, Jaelee Roberts. She has been a mentor to counte...

  Fiddle master, Michael Cleavland is considered one of today's greatest bluegrass artists. Here in Part 2 of Daniel Mullins' interview with Michael, they talk about his journey in bluegrass, from his first professional performances to fronting his own Grammy award-winning band, Michael Cleveland & Flamekeeper. Recorded backstage during rehearsal for the 2019 IBMA Awards Show in Raleigh, NC, hear...

  As one of the most awarded fiddle players in bluegrass music today, Michael Cleveland’s career is still unfolding. Born visually impaired, Michael has had a unique journey as an artist. In this two-part episode, Daniel sits down with Michael in Raleigh, NC, backstage during rehearsal for the 2019 IBMA Awards Show, as Michael shares his story of becoming an accomplished master of bluegrass fiddli...

For over three decades, Larry Stephenson has been a band leader, recording artist and leader in bluegrass music. Prior to launching his solo career, Larry worked with some important figures in the genre, including Bill Harrell and the trailblazing band, The Bluegrass Cardinals. Over the last thirty years, a who's who of world class musicians have been members of The Larry Stephenson Band. Daniel s...

  Skip Cherryholmes now plays in the powerhouse North Carolina-based outfit, Sideline which also has a family connection for him. In Part 2 of Skip’s conversation with Daniel Mullins, hear the continuation of Skip’s journey with his family band, Cherryholmes, the conclusion of that band, the struggle to survive outside of music, and his inevitable return to playing music full-time alongside his fa...

  As the guitar player and a vocalist in the seminal family band, Cherryholmes and now, Sideline, Skip Cherryholmes’ story is one of bootstrap beginnings and a fast rise to the top. Although now disbanded, Cherryholmes blazed a trail for young bluegrass artists, and their legacy remains an important one. In Part 1 of a two-part conversation with Daniel Mullins, Skip talks about the emergence of hi...

  Kitsy Kuykendall is one of bluegrass music's most beloved personalities. Her late husband, Pete Kuykendall founded Bluegrass Unlimited magazine, fondly referred to as "The Rolling Stone of Bluegrass." Kitsy and Pete dedicated their lives to promoting, supporting, and spreading the music of bluegrass throughout the world. For over 50 years, Bluegrass Unlimited has been the premier print resource...

Prolific fiddle player, golf professional and son of a Hall of Fame fiddler, Johnny Warren is a member of the bluegrass supergroup, the Earls of Leicester, whose mission is to promote the timeless sound of Lester Flatt & Earl Scruggs and The Foggy Mountain Boys. With the Earls, Johnny helps preserve his father, Paul Warren’s, classic fiddle style. In this episode of Season 2 of Walls of Time, Dani...

  From The Johnson Mountain Boys, to Longview, and The Seldom Scene, Dudley Connell is one of the most identifiable and beloved voices in Bluegrass. Today, on the third episode of Walls of Time Season 2, Daniel Mullins sits down with this charismatic performer in an old camper parked backstage at the SamJam Bluegrass Festival in Piketon, OH. They talk about Dudley’s journey from first getting hook...

Today, on the second episode of season two of the Walls of Time: Bluegrass Podcast, Daniel Mullins continues his conversation with Doyle Lawson, a legendary figure in bluegrass and a Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame member. They talk extensively about the formation of his legendary band, Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver, a band whose former members have included some of the biggest names in today's bluegras...