Walt Aldridge attended the University of Alabama, majoring in business when he switched over to the University of North Alabama, enrolling in their music business program because they had...

Donna Ulisse has fond memories of her grandmother teaching her to sing at a young age. And that is all Donna wanted to do! As her career developed, she was encouraged by many in the music...

Steve Cooley was just a kid when he heard Earl Scrugg playing banjo on the TV show “The Beverly Hillbillies.” The performance lit a spark in Steve who began playing guitar and banjo with ...

Ann Foster is the matriarch of the Foster Family String Band and a guitar player in this Bluegrass group. Her husband Bill and his brother sang as a duet growing up so it was natural for ...

Melissa Foster loves talking about the Bluegrass group her family formed, beginning when she was just a child. The Foster Family String Band toured all over the United States, mostly on w...

Greg Martin was able to combine the many musical styles he admired growing up when he helped form the Kentucky Headhunters. The band made up of friends began playing together in 1968 and ...

Uwe Kruger grew up singing old German folks songs with family in Switzerland. Picking up the guitar at eight years old, he later played with his brother, Jens, on street corners. His love...

Jeri Palumbo grew up in a very musical family. Like many of her relatives she is a multi-instrumentalist. She developed strong orchestration skills and played in a number of bands ranging...

Dave Bresnan had a true passion for music that began when he was fifteen when he learned to play the piano. Throughout the 1960’s, Dave played guitar and banjo in several groups after dis...

Byron Berline  established the Double Stop Fiddle Shop in Oklahoma back in 1995. The store became a major hub for musicians which bought and sold a great number of both vintage and new in...

Chuck Neitzel joined Deering Banjo in January 1979 having previously been a woodworker with antique furniture. Chuck also brought with him a deep respect and passion for bluegrass music, ...

Pete McClelland teamed up with his wife to open a folk instrument music store in London in 1975. The idea was new and it was unclear if they would be successful, but they dedicated themse...

Don Cusic recalls that in 1964 he was greatly influenced by three musical discoveries: Roger Miller, Hank Williams, and The Beatles! After forming his own band and playing Bluegrass music...

Harry Sparks is the founder of the Famous Old Time Music Company in Cincinnati, Ohio. Harry grew up in the folk and bluegrass era of the 1960s and joined a band at a young age. Over the y...

Harry Bickel has been passionate about the folk songs and bluegrass music of Kentucky since he was a kid. While in college, he took banjo lessons from J.D. Crowe and learned how to repair...

Dan Crary first played an acoustic music festival in the 1960’s when the steel-string guitar was often in the background. However, Dan’s lead guitar playing caught the attention of a gene...

Dana Bourgeois formed Bourgeois Guitars in 1993, having already worked as a luthier on several projects including those with Paul Reed Smith and Eric Schoenberg. His passion for guitar bu...

Susan Carson opened her first music store, Taylor Guitar Shop, at just 18 years old in Johnson, Tennessee. Taylor Guitar Shop became the local hangout spot for bluegrass pickers and those...

Marty Stuart grew up in the small town of Philadelphia, Mississippi surrounded by country music, which he taught himself to play on a family guitar when he was 12 years old. Marty soon le...

Lowell Levinger, known as Banana, was a founding member of the Youngbloods back in the late 1960s.  The band had a series of hit records including the 60s anthem “Get Together.”  Banana p...

JD Crowe recalled seeing Earl Scruggs perform in Lexington with Lester Flatt when he was a kid.  The sound was so unique and different that all young JD could think about was getting a ba...

Vince Gill attended his first NAMM Show when he was nineteen years old and living in Los Angeles, California, back in 1977.  Over the years, Vince has supported many music retailers and s...

John Walker’s career in music all began with guitar lessons at six years old. This lesson studio’s focus was on ensemble performance, which allowed John to start playing gigs at 11 years ...

George Shuffler was the country and bluegrass guitar player who is credited for a three figure cross-picking playing style (down two strings, up one) that he created out of necessity. ...

Ralph Stanley was best known for his featured songs in the movie "Oh Brother, Where Art Thou," although his career began in the 1930s. He sang in church with his family and later hit the ...

Richard Keldsen is the president of Saga Music in San Francisco, California.  His first musical inspiration was hearing Earl Scruggs playing Bluegrass banjo for the first time.  After two...

Jens Kruger is one of the world’s most technically accomplished 5-string banjo players who have worked with the Deering Banjo Company to create a more sophisticated instrument; one that c...

Jesse McReynolds was one half of the popular country and bluegrass duo Jim & Jesse.  His late brother made up the other half, which by the way was once called Jesse & James, a nam...

Curly Seckler was a pioneer in the development of Bluegrass music. He began performing professionally in 1935, on a daily radio program on WSTP in Salisbury, NC.  After the breakup of the...

Bobby Osborne is the mandolin/guitarist who teamed with his brother to form one of the most beloved duets in bluegrass music history.  The Osborne Brothers recorded several key songs for ...

Rick Shubb has always been fascinated with bluegrass music and its instruments. He has recorded and performed often playing his five-string banjo. He grew up in the Berkeley area and met ...

Ricky Skaggs is the internationally known Country Music performer and Bluegrass mandolin player who sat in front of our cameras to discuss his passion for Pro-Audio gear. Ricky covered hi...