Lee Zimmerman

Canada’s CR5 — short for County Road 5 Bluegrass — resides in the backroads of Eastern Ontario, in a town called Lyndhurst, although the original band members all lived in or near the tiny hamlet of McIntosh Mills. The name of the band was in fact spawned from the road that ran through it, Leeds Grenville County Road 5.

The Earls of Leicester at the 2024 Earl Scruggs Music Festival – photo ©

On their website, The Down Hill Strugglers describe themselves simply as “an old time string band. Given the fact that they released their previous albums on the Smithsonian Folkways Recordings before signing to Jalopy Records, there’s clear credence to that claim.

Shawn Camp is a multitasker in every sense of the word. Aside from the role he’s played with Jerry Douglas in the Earls Of Leicester, which can be traced back to its origins in 2013, he’s also a renowned solo artist in his own right. His songwriting credits extend to some of the biggest names in today’s country music — among them, Willie Nelson, Garth Brooks, Loretta Lynn, Brooks & Dunn, and Blake Shelton. Two of the tracks he penned for Nelson’s recent album A Beautiful Time — the title track — and the song, We’re Not Happy ‘Til You’’e Not Happy — helped win it a 2023 Grammy Award for Country Album of the Year.

For the past 21 years, Bluejeans & Ballet has become a local entertainment tradition in East Tennessee. A much anticipated presentation from Maryville’s Appalachian Ballet Company, it offers an opportunity

John Fee’s commitment to country music has, in every sense, lasted a lifetime. He grew up listening to all the greats — George Jones, Porter Wagner, Hank Sr., and Willie

of 10 Featured Local Savings

If judged by their handle alone, Appalachian Smoke would seem to possess a firm commitment to their Blue Ridge origins. That’s evident to a great extent courtesy of the tightly spun saunter and sway that informs each of the ten tracks on this eponymous effort. The band — specifically, Mikel Laws (banjo, guitar, and vocals), Tim Williams (bass and vocals), Jamie Mason (guitar, banjo, and vocals), Kenneth Ryder (resophonic guitar and vocals), and BJ Taylor (mandolin, octave mandolin, and vocals) — exhibits a clear confidence that results in a decidedly assured delivery.