Musician Profiles

I began playing mandolin when I was six.  My dad and his brothers had formed a bluegrass band when they were in high school in Ava, Missouri, in the 1950s.   My dad had evidently played...

Although oldtime guitar is arguably one of the most underrated and overlooked instruments in the tradition, Cameron Knowler is quick to point out that strong, engaging back-up is crucial to the “nutrition” of any...

Emily Elam of Mountain View, Arkansas is a three-time Arkansas State Old-Time Fiddle Champion and long-time student of Billy Matthews. Here she sits down with Oldtime Central to speak about how she got into...

Hi, I'm Pär. I'm a fiddler raised in Svärdsjö, a small idyllic village in Dalecarlia, Sweden. Folk music has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember: my parents...

My first exposure to old-time music was probably when Hobart Smith came to perform at my high school outside of Chicago. Within a few weeks, I had gone down to The Old Town folk school...

I haven’t listened to or seen this interview since I did it at Clifftop, and as it was conducted in the crazy haze that is the Appalachian String Band Festival, I don’t remember what...

My journey as a musician has been a long one, since I started playing violin when I was about 6 years old! My parents always had music going on in the house-my mom played...

It is a natural human instinct to want to express yourself. To feel that you are heard and will not be forgotten when your time on earth is done. We find many ways to...