Bluegrass Unlimited Podcast with Irene Kelley

This week we feature Del McCoury’s brother, bass and guitar player Jerry McCoury.  In addition to spending time performing and recording with Del, Jerry has played music with a impressive list of other bluegrass greats—including Red Allen and Reno & Smiley.   We talk with Jerry about his time performing with those bands and more.

This week we feature mandolin master Ronnie McCoury and talk with him about his many years playing with his father Del and his work with The Travelin’ McCourys. We’ll also talk about his mandolin heroes, his many IBMA awards, and the latest Del McCoury Band project.

This week we feature Dan Tyminski  and talk to him about his new live album and the Dan Tyminski Band.  We will also talk to Dan about how he got started in bluegrass and his years with the Lonesome River Band and Alison Krauss and Union Station.  You will also hear several cuts from the new record.

This week we feature Rhonda Vincent’s banjo player Aaron McDaris.  We’ll talk about the various bands that Aaron has played in over the years, his purchase of the "Rocky Top" banjo from Sonny Osborne, the time he has spent in Rhonda’s band and his acquisition of the Starvey Creek Bluegrass Festival.

This week we feature fiddle player Randy Lanham.  Randy is the Education Director at the Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame and Museum located in Owensboro, Kentucky.  I’ll talk with Randy about his career performing music and we will discuss all of the in-person and online opportunities that he makes available through the Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame and Museum.

This week we feature Blue Highway’s bass player and lead singer Wayne Taylor.  We talk about Wayne’s early years in bluegrass, his 30 years performing and recording with Blue Highway, the newest Blue Highway recording and the Blue Highway festival.

This week we feature banjo player Daniel Grindstaff and talk with him about his newest album Heroes and Friends.  Early in his career Daniel played with several of the first generation bluegrass legends, such as Jim & Jesse and The Osborne Brothers.  He has also been on the road with Marty Raybon and with Marty’s brother Tim.  We will talk about his time spent with those bands and will discuss some details about the new album.  You’ll also hear some cuts from the album.

This week we feature Darin and Brooke Aldridge.  We talk with them about their careers in bluegrass music, how they met, their recordings, performances and songwriting and their latest album titled Talk of the Town. During the podcast you’ll have the chance to hear a few cuts from the album.

This week we feature multi-instrumentalist and singer Keith Little.  We talk with Keith about his long career in bluegrass starting on the west coast playing with Vern and Ray and various other California bands, then working with the Country Gentlemen, going to Nashville to work with Ricky Skaggs and Dolly Parton and then back out west to work with David Grisman and Peter Rowan. 

This week we feature fiddle player Jim VanCleve.  We talk with Jim about his early days in Florida, his work with bands like Lou Reid and Carolina, Doyle Lawson and Quicksilver, Mountain Heart and the Appalachian Road Show.  We also discuss his mentoring of the young band Indigo Roots, who are featured in our July 2024 issue.