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Mark Hembree played bass for Bill Monroe, from 1979-1984. Mark joined the band as a long-haired 22 year old, and got a haircut very quickly!

His recent book, "On The Bus with Bill Monroe" is a fascinating description of life as a Bluegrass Boy. Kenny Baker, Burch Robbins, Wayne Lewis and Blake Williams were bandmates during those years. His stories of Bill and Charlie Monroe, Kenny Baker, Peter Rowan, the infamous bus "Bluegrass Breakdown," learning to play with Bill's rhythm, and just getting used to the long drives and meager pay at the time, are priceless.

You'll love this conversation, he's funny, fascinating and knows things that no one else remembers!

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Jake Eddy, at age 26, is among a new generation of bluegrass musicians who are making a name for themselves on social media. His videos on Instagram and other platforms garner thousands of views, thanks to his technical skill, wit, and charisma.

His bluegrass roots run deep through his family in Parkersburg, West Virginia. He toured for two years as a teenager with Melvin Goins, and went on to play with the Becky Buller Band, mandolin legend Andy Statman, and banjo great Noam Pikelny.

He's a guitar lover through and through, as you will hear. Fascinating and funny guy!

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Talk about a singer's singer! Greg Blake is a bluegrass singer that prepares and performs with his heart in every line of a song. In this interview, he expresses his strong opinions about singing, country music, and the traditions of bluegrass, as well as his appreciation for Billy Strings.

Greg was IBMA's Bluegrass Singer of the Year in 2023 and 2025. He's also a five-time winner of the Society for the Preservation of Bluegrass Music in America (SPBGMA) Guitarist of the Year Award. He's lead singer for Special Consensus, now celebrating their 50th year in bluegrass!

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Guitarist Jake Workman exploded onto the bluegrass scene in 2015, when he joined Ricky Skaggs and Kentucky Thunder. He not only filled the huge shoes of Cody Kilby and Bryan Sutton, but created his own take on bluegrass guitar, with great rhythm playing, and some lightning fast solos that still amaze today!

We talked about his nine years in the Skaggs band, his approach to guitar and mandolin playing, his family life in Utah with his talented musical wife, Rebekah and their four young kids, his recent jam with jazz guitarist Julian Lage, his passion for teaching, and his plans for the future, post Skaggs. Thrilled to finally get Jake on the podcast!

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Trish Imbrogno, who plays uder the name Trish Plays Bass, is a double bassist and singer based in Pittsburgh. Classically trained, after nearly 25 years of orchestral playing she hung up her concert clothes, pulled on a pair of cowboy boots, and hasn’t looked back.

Her training in Bach, Beethoven and Mozart laid the perfect foundation to tackle the intricate counterpoint of bluegrass music. She performs with many bands, leads jams, and is also an alumna of IBMA's Leadership Bluegrass Class of 2018. Her brand new album "Bluegrass Love Songs Volume 1", features some of the top players in bluegrass.

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Mandolinist Jesse Cobb was a founding member of The Infamous Stringdusters in 2006, spending 5 years with the genre-bending ‘grassers before leaving in 2011. He also played with Ronnie Bowman, and the "supergroup" with Bryan Sutton, Luke Bulla, Noam Pikelny and Barry Bales. His brother Shad Cobb is one of the most sought after fiddle players in Nashville.

Jesse has lived a lot, spent time logging timber, running sled dogs, and working on the railroad. Now married and living on Vancouver Island, BC, he plays with The Unfaithful Servants.

This was a very open and honest conversation about his life, both in and out of music. He's done a lot, moved around a lot, and sacrificed a lot for his family, and still managed to be one of the top mandolinists in bluegrass. One of my favorite interviews.

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Connnecticut's Austin Scelzo is a fiddle player, teacher, singer, songwriter, band member, jam leader, Pete Wernick Jam Camp insructor, and an all-around positive force in bluegrass.

If you're interested in learning bluegrass fiddle, harmony singing, or just about anything bluegrass, check out Austin Scelzo's YouTube channel:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCcTt1g2xiUfLsBysFWj6f-g

He left a secure job as a school music teacher a few years ago, to pursue his bluegrass dreams, and hasn't looked back. A fiddle playing member of bands On The Trail and Rock Hearts, he is familiar to New England audiences, and has made his mark in Nashville.

A thoughful and insightful teacher, Austin has helped thousands of students navigate the path to playing and singing bluegrass with confidence and authority. A charming and knowledgeable young guy with a lot to say!

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Larry Cordle is one of the legendary songwriters and singers in bluegrass and country music. He's best known for writing #1 hits "Highway 40 Blues" for Ricky Skaggs, "Murder on Music Row" for George Strait, and "Against the Grain" for Garth Brooks. He has multiple Grammy and IBMA awards, and has written top hits for Dolly Parton, Reba McIntire, Alan Jackson, Alison Krauss, Trisha Yearwood, etc.

Larry talks about the inner workings of "Music Row", his long friendships with Bill Monroe and Garth Brooks, the demise of "real" country music, and the hard work, frustrations and rewards of being a professional songwriter. A real down-to-earth music man!