Bluegrass Unlimited has been a staple of the bluegrass industry for over 40 years. I’ve browsed back issues and eagerly read new issues right along with the rest of the bluegrass world. Until today, I didn’t know the backstory of how the magazine came to be.

The Fauquier Times-Democrat newspaper, in Warrenton, Va, is running a story in today’s paper detailing the story of how/why Pete Kuykendall began the magazine all those years ago as a newsletter, whose annual subscription rate was $3. Considering the increased content and the inflation over 40+ years, I’d say the current subscription rate of $25 is a bargain indeed.

With the world changing drastically around us, bluegrass music continues to thrive, and so has Bluegrass Unlimited.

“If you had asked me 10 years ago about the future of Bluegrass Unlimited, I would have said it would be dead by now," said Kuykendall. "But we are still healthy, and bluegrass music continues to grow."

Thanks Pete for helping the music grow, and for keeping us all reading for all this time.

With the merger of Sirius and XM, some folks seem to have lost track of their favorite show, Wichita Rutherford’s Grand Old Timemachine.

Wichita’s Timemachine has a new time slot on the combined satellite radio provider.

My new time slot at SIRIUS/XM is 9 PM Eastern every Friday and then at 12 on Saturday nights on Channel 14’s Bluegrass Junction and Channel 65 for those with SIRIUS recievers.

That’s tonight for those of you who want some music in the background if you’re still having parties with friends and relatives.

When Rhonda Vincent introduced the new members of her band earlier this week, a good many bluegrass fans recognized the name of her new banjo player, Aaron McDaris, from his time with The Grascals.

Fewer, perhaps, knew the name of her new guitarist, Ben Helson. Though he had been a member of Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder for nearly a year, his role in that band kept him in the background, and many Vincent fans are just learning about this talented young man.

Fortunately, The McKenzie Banner newspaper in Carroll County, TN has a lengthy feature on Ben which was published in 2007. Interestingly, this article discusses how Ben had auditioned for the Rage in November ‘07, but failed to win the job.

It seems that good things do come to those who wait, as evidenced by this excerpt from the article, which focuses in large part on Helson’s time as a member of Renaissance, a student musical group at Bethel College.

"Performing with Rhonda has been my dream ever since I started playing bluegrass," he says. "Singing harmony is something I really like doing and it’s great singing harmony with her because she’s perfect; she sings very well."

The lanky, 21-year-old Kentucky boy had already proved a standout at Renaissance shows across the country. That’s what Renaissance does: it takes talented young people from diverse regions of the country and molds them into a dynamic musical force that energizes audiences with expertly orchestrated performances. Individually, its members work hard to achieve common goals, mixing fun and friendship with a hands-on musical education directed by some of the best in the business. That, plus the experience they get performing before audiences that range from a few members to thousands, prepares them for opportunities otherwise beyond reach.

Read the full piece online.

There are a number of bluegrass acts performing this weekend on the Grand Ole Opry. If you will be near your radio – and are within the huge WSM radio footprint – or close to your computer, you can catch some top bands live tonight (11/28) and tomorrow as well.

Tonight’s show will include performances from Dailey & Vincent, The Whites and Bobby Osborne & The Rocky Top X-Press. On Saturday night, The Whites are back, along with Melonie Cannon (with Randy Kohrs), and Jesse McReynolds & The Virginia Boys.

The Friday Opry is broadcast from 8:00 to 10:00 p.m. (EST) and the Saturday show runs from 8:00 p.m. until 12:30 a.m. Both shows are available over the air on WSM AM 650, on XM channel 11 (XM Nashville), and simulcast worldwide via online streaming at wsmonline.com.