Bluegrass Jam Along

My guest this week is John Wirtz.
John, along with his partner Moira, runs Sore Fingers, a UK bluegrass and old time music camp that celebrates it's 30th anniversary this year.
John joins me to chat about how the camp started up and how it's grown over the years to play a major role in the UK and European bluegrass scenes. We talk about some of the extraordinary tutors who have travelled across the Atlantic to teach at Sore Fingers over the years and how they've helped thousands of people develop their musical skills, whilst helping to shape a community in the process.
2026 marks the 30th anniversary of the first event and this year's courses feature some wonderful tutors, including Tony Trischka, Michael Daves, Jacob Jolliff, Mike Compton, Stephen Mougin and Becky Buller.
For more info, visit the Sore Fingers site at www.sorefingers.co.uk
Support the show
===

Thanks to Bryan Sutton for his wonderful theme tune to Bluegrass Jam Along (and to Justin Moses for playing the fiddle!)


Bluegrass Jam Along is proud to be sponsored by Collings Guitars and Mandolins

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- Free fiddle tune chord sheets

- Here's a list of all the Bluegrass Jam Along interviews

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Welcome to this month’s Bluegrass Briefing, a monthly series of episodes taking a look at what’s going on in the world of bluegrass.
Here are the links to stuff mentioned in this episode.

Ted Olson interview
Doc Watson 100th Birthday Celebration - part 1 - part 2

News and announcements - church street news 
Punch Brothers tour dates

Scroll on Buddy
Atkin Guitars pallet guitar
Jude Rogers - The Sound of Being Human
Brittany Haas w/ Paul Kowert & Mike Gaisbacher - Impromptu Sessions

Other bits

Full list of interviews
Collings Guitars

Happy picking.
Matt

Support the show
===

Thanks to Bryan Sutton for his wonderful theme tune to Bluegrass Jam Along (and to Justin Moses for playing the fiddle!)


Bluegrass Jam Along is proud to be sponsored by Collings Guitars and Mandolins

- Sign up to get updates on new episodes

- Free fiddle tune chord sheets

- Here's a list of all the Bluegrass Jam Along interviews

- Follow Bluegrass Jam Along for regular updates:
Instagram
Facebook
- Review us on Apple Podcasts

My guest this week is Ted Olson, professor of Appalachian Studies at East Tennessee State University.
Ted joins me to celebrate the Rich-R-Tone record label and it's offshoot Folk Star. Rich-R-Tone was founded in 1946 by James Hobart Stanton who, in Ted's words, "was probably single-handedly the most important documentarian of Appalachian music."
Ted has extensively researched Stanton and the Rich_R-Tone label for a project he co-produced for Bear Family Records - The Rich-R-Tone/Folk Star Story: Appalachia On Record, 1946-1954. Featuring 317 expertly remastered recordings spread over 12 CDs and including a 144-page hardcover book, this set, produced by Ted Olson, Matteo Ringressi, and Richard Weize, features newly researched liner notes and a complete discography. Many of these recordings are incredibly rare and are taken from 78 rpm discs held in private collections.
We talk about Stanton's background in jukebox repair and distribution and how that helped shape his vision for the label; why both place and time are so vital in this particular story; the importance of Rich-R-Tone being a label based in Appalachia, rather than being a major label coming to the region just to record local talent and how Stanton played an important role in The Stanley Brothers' career. It's a fascinating story and one I knew very little about before my conversation with Ted, who was a pleasure to chat with as always.
During the conversation  we play excerpts of three tracks from the box set. You'll hear (in order):
The Stanley Brothers - Molly and Tenbrooks
Wilma Lee Cooper - The Tramp on the Street
The Caudill Family - Ain't No Grave Gonna Hold My Body Down
For more info on the box set visit Bear Family Records
To hear my previous interviews with Ted, check out the two episodes below:
The Bristol Sessions and Beyond
Doc Watson's 100th Birthday Celebration (featuring Happy Traum, John McEuen from the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, T. Michael Coleman, Jack Lawrence, Lindsay Craven of MerleFest and Ted Olson)
Support the show
===

Thanks to Bryan Sutton for his wonderful theme tune to Bluegrass Jam Along (and to Justin Moses for playing the fiddle!)


Bluegrass Jam Along is proud to be sponsored by Collings Guitars and Mandolins

- Sign up to get updates on new episodes

- Free fiddle tune chord sheets

- Here's a list of all the Bluegrass Jam Along interviews

- Follow Bluegrass Jam Along for regular updates:
Instagram
Facebook
- Review us on Apple Podcasts

My guest on this week's Bitesize episode is Sara Watkins, who joins me to talk about I'm With Her's Grammy winning album 'Wild and Clear and Blue'. It's an album I really love (and a conversation I loved too) and I wanted to put something out to celebrate not only the Grammy win, but also the Grammy they won for the opening track 'Ancient Light'.
Sara talks about the process behind writing the record, which began to take shape shortly after the pandemic, why collaboration was so important and the central themes that emerged during the process. We also talk about community and connection in music and how the line between audience and stage is a little thinner in folk music than for some other formats.

This comes from a longer conversation we had in 2025. You'll find the full interview with Sara here.
Sara also mentions an interview I did with her bandmate Sarah Jarosz, about her album 'Blue Heron Suite'.
For more info on I’m With Her, including upcoming tour dates and to buy I’m With Her vinyl, CDs and merch, visit imwithherband.com
For regular updates follow Sara on Instagram and Facebook
Support the show
===

Thanks to Bryan Sutton for his wonderful theme tune to Bluegrass Jam Along (and to Justin Moses for playing the fiddle!)


Bluegrass Jam Along is proud to be sponsored by Collings Guitars and Mandolins

- Sign up to get updates on new episodes

- Free fiddle tune chord sheets

- Here's a list of all the Bluegrass Jam Along interviews

- Follow Bluegrass Jam Along for regular updates:
Instagram
Facebook
- Review us on Apple Podcasts

Welcome to this month’s Bluegrass Briefing, a monthly series of episodes taking a look at what’s going on in the world of bluegrass.
Here are the links to stuff mentioned in this episode.

News and announcements - church street news 

Chris Thile’s Acousticamp
Tony Trischka’s New York Banjo Night
Bruce and Darol’s Great Big Fiddle Hang
Sore Fingers
Rockygrass

Releases (The Grass is New)

Bryan Sutton/Billy Strings video
Alasdair Fraser & Natalie Haas
Tony Trischka Earl Jam 2 (preorder)
Della Mae

Scroll on Buddy

Willie Nelson (preorder)

Other bits

Full list of interviews
Collings Guitars

Happy picking.
Matt

Support the show
===

Thanks to Bryan Sutton for his wonderful theme tune to Bluegrass Jam Along (and to Justin Moses for playing the fiddle!)


Bluegrass Jam Along is proud to be sponsored by Collings Guitars and Mandolins

- Sign up to get updates on new episodes

- Free fiddle tune chord sheets

- Here's a list of all the Bluegrass Jam Along interviews

- Follow Bluegrass Jam Along for regular updates:
Instagram
Facebook
- Review us on Apple Podcasts