In The Bluegrass Reader, Thomas Goldsmith joins his insights as a journalist with a lifetime of experience in bluegrass to capture the full story of this beloved American music. Inspired by the question “What articles about bluegrass would you want to have with you on a desert island?” he assembled a delicious, fun-to-read collection that brings together a wide range of the very best in bluegrass writing. Goldsmith’s substantial introduction describes and traces the development of the music from its origins in Anglo-American folk tradition, overlaid with African American influences, to the breakout popularity of Ralph Stanley, Alison Krauss, and the O Brother, Where Art Thou? soundtrack. He introduces each selection offering a wealth of additional information, making The Bluegrass Reader both enjoyable and invaluable for new fans of the music as well as for its lifetime devotees.

Contributions by: James Rooney, Marty Stuart, Rich Kienzle, Peter Wernick, Neil V Rosenberg, Mac Wiseman, Paul F Wells, Jack Tottle, L Mayne Smith, Mike Seeger, Joe Wilson, Wayne Erbsen, Doug Hutchens, Jon Weisberger, Bob Artis, Alan Lomax, Ralph Rinzler, Tom Teepen, Richard Harrington, Sam Charters, Michael J Melford, Hunter S Thompson, Charles Wolfe, Doug Tuchman, Peter V Kuykendall, Alice Foster, Fred Bartenstein, Connie Walker, John Duffey, Robert Cantwell, Walt V Saunders, John Kaparakis, Peter Rowan, Vassar Clements, David Grisman, Kathy Sawyer, Steve Arkin, Dick Kimmel, John Hartley Fox, Tim Stafford, Bill Vernon, Alan Steiner, Jack Bernhardt, Jim Macnie, Ben Ratliff, Robert K Oermann, Mary Bufwack, Thomas A. Adler, Murphy Henry, Pete Wernick, Sandy Rothman, Tom Piazza, Neil Strauss, Baker Maultsby, David Gates