We don’t think about it often, but these instruments we use to create bluegrass music existed before Monroe. The banjo has arguably undergone some evolution in the last 100 years, but the mandolin, fiddle, guitar, and bass haven’t changed that much.

Before there was Banjo Newsletter, Flatpicking Guitar Magazine, Bluegrass Unlimited, Bluegrass Now or Fretboard Journal, there was S.S. Stewart’s Banjo & Guitar and Mandolin Journal.

Publication began in 1882. The Journal covered items of interest to music lovers, including: concert dates, concert reviews, sheet music and instruction, articles, photos, and a large number of advertisements. Issues of this classic publication can occasionally be found for sale on auction sites such as ebay.

While collectors will still bid on the actual items, the rest of us no longer need to open our wallets to enjoy reading the Journal. The University of Rochester Research Department has gone to a great deal of effort to scan all the issues in the school’s library and make them available online as PDF files. Over 40 issues are available on the school’s website.

The PDF files are of moderate size. The average is probably 1-1.5 MB, some approach 3MB.

This publication is from the pre-bluegrass musical era, but still very interesting to read if you some free time.

Hat Tip: Fretboard Journal Blog

The fall 2007 edition of Fretboard Journal is in the mail to subscribers and will soon be available at music dealers and Barnes & Noble. This edition features a cover story on banjo master Earl Scruggs.

The story is appropriately titled “The Banjo That Changed The World.” The article weighs in at a hefty 18 pages. For those of you who aren’t keen on a lot of reading, don’t worry, fully 8 of those pages are dedicated to high quality photographs. If you’ve ever held a copy of Fretboard Journal in your hand, you’ll understand when I say the photographs are spectacular.

The ten pages of text are well worth reading though, so don’t skip them just to look at the pictures! With lots of history, stories told in the first person by Earl himself, and remembrances from other players and historians, the writing is just as good as the photography. This article is a must read for all fans of Earl Scruggs.

Scruggs isn’t the only bluegrass personality featured in the issue though. Another article of interest is a lengthy piece on guitar player, and fiddle expert, David Bromberg. Again, this article is complete with stunning photos, first hand interviews, and lots of history.

A shorter, but equally interesting, article about Old Growth Rims (built by Sullivan Banjo) devotes plenty of discussion to the hardships of trying to work the old hard-rock maple, from the floor of an 1870 factory, into banjo rims. These rims are available for after market purchase, but also come standard in Sullivan Banjo models such as the new Terry Baucom model.

When you hear “Dave” and “Top 10″ in the same sentence, most Americans immediately think of late night TV. Precious few of us would think… Uncle Dave Macon.

But that is exactly what The Murfreesboro Post did, publishing The Top 10 facts about Uncle Dave Macon in advance of the annual Uncle Dave Macon Days festival, set to begin July 13 in Murfreesboro, TN.

Many of these facts will be well known to fans of the legendary banjo player, comedian and entertainer – and member of the Country Music Hall of Fame – but a few may be unknown, such as #9.

9. Uncle Dave’s father was Confederate Civil War Capt. John Macon. In 1883, the elder Macon purchased the Broadway Hotel in Nashville, which was the unofficial headquarters of southern entertainers and minstrels. This is where Dave Macon is said to have learned much of his performance style. The family moved to Readyville in 1885 after John Macon was stabbed to death near the hotel. Uncle Dave was a witness to the murder.

Read the full piece on The Murfreesboro Post site. Thanks to our friends at The Fretboard Journal who found this article online.

The latest issue of The Fretboard Journal is in stores now, and should be arriving in subscribers mailboxes as well. This is the Summer 2007 issue from the quarterly publication.

This issue’s cover story is B.B. King, but there are several other stories that will be of interest to us bluegrass fans. One of which is the tale of the founding of the David Grisman Quintet. There is also a story, replete with photos, of Pete Ross’ gourd banjos, a story about the creation of Martin’s OM model, and a piece about how Tommy Ramone traded in his drum sticks for a mandolin. This is just a sampling of the many articles and interviews included in the magazine, but these are probably the ones of most interest to the bluegrass community.

The Fretboard Journal is a coffee table quality magazine with glossy pages and stellar photos. If you’ve never seen a copy, I suggest you head over to your favorite bookstore/magazine rack and check out this latest issue.