George Shuffler to receive award
George Shuffler, pioneering cross picking guitarist and one of the memorable personalities in bluegrass music, will be acknowledged by the North Carolina Arts Council with its annual Folk Heritage Award on October 25 in Raleigh, NC.
Shuffler will lunch with NC Governor Mike Easly on the 24th, and receive his award the following day.
Shuffler spent 18 years as a member of The Stanley Brothers in the 1950s and 1960s where his cross picking lead guitar technique was a distinctive aspect of the band’s sound. The technique involves using a flatpick jumping across three or more strings to mimic the rolling sound of the 5 string banjo. This cross picking style mixes a basic melody with “fill notes” for an eighth note flurry that has been replicated and honed to this day.
Here is a YouTube clip taken from his instructional DVD with James Allen Shelton, Clinch Mountain Guitar.



James Alan Shelton, longtime lead guitarist for Ralph Stanley's Clinch Mountain Boys, was presented with a Carter Stanley Memorial Blue Ridge Guitar at Stanley's Memorial Weekend Festival on Saturday May 23rd. The guitar was given to him on stage in appreciation for fifteen years...
We got a note last week from our friend Big Mike Ramsey about an event that many of our readers will want to support. It's a benefit show scheduled for this weekend (5/9) for John Shuffler, one of the unsung heroes from the early days of bluegrass music.
His brother George may be better known to bluegrass...
The September edition of Acoustic Guitar magazine includes a review of seven dreadnaught guitars.
In an eight page section the feature article assesses the merits of seven different makes of the cherished Dreadnought guitar, varying in price from $350 to $4,000 and across the range of manufacturers...
Mel Bay has just released to DVD Joe Carr's Super Mandolin Picking Techniques. This was previously only available on VHS. The 30 minute program teaches mandolin players how to develop a strong well-coordinated right-hand technique that will lead to super fast, strong and accurate picking.
Included...
Thanks to Fred Robbins for keeping us updated on the condition of Allen Shelton, who has been hospitalized in Nashville for treatment of his leukemia since early October.
Long-time bluegrass fans know Allen for his banjo playing with Jim Eanes and Jim & Jesse. He always played with a driving sound,...




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George deserves every accolade the man is afforded!
“We love Shuffler” should be every true bluegrasser’s chant!
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