Life is short - begin every day with a smile!
Like many from my local area, I had the pleasure of watching Carson Peters grow up singing and playing his trademark sizzling fiddle.
The first time I saw this young man perform was in nearby Bristol, Virginia on the stage of a local Bluegrass Music show called The Pickin’ Porch.
He was all of 8 years old, but he played that fiddle like he was already a seasoned veteran – and in a very real way, he was.
Ronnie Reno has delighted Bluegrass and Country Music fans as a performer, songwriter and television host for six decades.
In addition to recording and touring with his own band, he also performed alongside some of the biggest names in the music world – the Louvin Brothers, Merle Haggard, The Osborne Brothers, Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, Johnny Paycheck…the list just goes on and on.
If you’re a fan of traditional American music, it’s a good bet that Ronnie played a major role in shaping your musical experience.
I recently had the opportunity to speak with Ronnie about his life and long career performing in not one, but two genres of American music.
Here are ten questions and answers with Ronnie Reno…
Living (and loving) Life
Do you happen to enjoy classic country music?
If so, you’re surely familiar with Jana Jae, the award-winning musician whose superb mastery of the fiddle prompted country music icon Buck Owens to invite her to join his band as the very first female Buckaroo.
Jana performed with Buck and many other top-tier singers and musicians over the years, most notably as a member of the cast of the ultra-popular Country music variety show Hee-Haw.
Never one to sit idle while the world passes her by, Jana is still hard at work playing her iconic blue fiddle in concerts both here in the U.S. and all around the world.
And when time permits she also loves teaching and mentoring aspiring musicians of all ages.
I recently had the opportunity to talk with Jana about her long and successful career and her abounding love of music.
Here are ten questions and answers with Jana Jae…
It’s common for artists to “cover” songs that were huge hits for other performers, but only rarely does the cover version do justice to the original.
Well I’m about to share one of those rare instances with you right now…
“And all your money won’t another minute buy…“
-–”Dust in the Wind” (Kansas)
Like many teenagers back in the day, I enjoyed listening to Rock music.
And during that period of the 1970’s American Rock was anchored by the group Kansas, a close-knit group of singers and musicians whose vocals and instrumental work blended together on a level that seemed to approach perfection.