OldGrampa Lensography

In 1934, Adolph Hitler announced that a car shouldn't just be a privilege of the wealthy. He summoned Ferdinand Porsche to talk about his plans for a car. Hitler said it should be small, durable and air cooled. Hitler called it Volkswagen, which mean...

I have always loved the old air cooled VWs. I have been fortunate enough to have owned a bus, a squareback, a fastback and 5 different Beetles. Air cooled Volkswagens have gained a cult like following and have become an icon for pop culture, especia...

Del McCoury, full name Delano Floyd McCoury, was born in Bakersfield, North Carolina on Feb. 1, 1939. When he was still very young Del's family moved to Pennsylvania. Del's big brother turned him on to Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs and in 1950 he bo...

J. D. Crowe's full name is James Dee Crowe. J.D. was born in Lexington, Kentucky on Aug. 27, 1937 and is well known for his fantastic banjo playing. J.D. Crowe started playing the banjo when he was 13 after hearing Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs on t...

Bill Monroe's full name was William Smith Monroe. Bill was born on a farm outside Rosine, Kentucky on Sept 13, 1911 to James and Malissa Monroe. When Bill Monroe died on Sept 9, 1996 the world lost one of the greatest and most influential bluegrass...

Jimmy Martin was born in Sneedville, Tennessee on Aug. 10, 1927. His full name was James Henry Martin and he is called the King of Bluegrass. Jimmy died a few years ago. In May of 2005 he ended a long fight with cancer. Jimmy Martin had continued to...

Rodney and Douglas Dillard grew up playing music and in the early 1960s they formed their own band along with a couple of their long time friends Dean Webb and Mitch Jayne, called The Dillards. While in college in 1962, Rodney talked his brother and...

Lester and Earl first met in 1946 when they joined Bill Monroe's Blue Grass Boys. In 1948 the two decided to leave the band and put together their own group which they called the Foggy Mountain Boys and by 1955 they were both members of the Grand Ole...

I want to tell you about The SteelDrivers, one of the very best Bluegrass bands I have heard in a long time. Recently I was attending a festival in Eastern Kentucky. There were several bands that were playing including Ralph Stanley. I really enjoy...

If you are looking for bluegrass music you have come to the right place. The Bluegrass Music Store features free onsite MP3 samples of various bluegrass musicians and bands to help you decide what to get. Simply click the play button on the Amazon M...

In the past few decades, bluegrass music has became more popular as it's reaching a broader audience. Many of the major country artists have recorded bluegrass songs introducing it to yet more fans. The movie, O Brother Where Art Thou released in 20...

Neil's full name is Neil Percival Young. Neil was born in Toronto on Nov. 12, 1945 to Scott and Edna Young. Neil's first band was called The Jades which he started while he was in Junior High School. Later, while he was a student at Winnipeg's Kelvi...

Legends like Bill Monroe and The Stanley Brothers created the roots and forged the future of bluegrass music. Generations of musicians and singers followed in their foot steps, taking inspiration from them and adding their own expressions and techniq...

Robert Leroy Johnson was born in Hazelhurst, Mississippi on May 8, 1911 to Julia Major and Noah Johnson. Although Blues music was already being formed at the time of his birth. Robert went on to become known by such titles as "The Godfather of the B...

Ever since I was a child I have been collecting old coins. I like to collect old US silver coins like the Standing Liberty quarter, Walking Liberty half dollar, and the Morgan silver dollar, but my favorites are the Seated Liberty coins, and others m...

Terence David John Pratchett, aka Terry, was born in Buckinghamshire, England on April 28, 1948 to David and Eileen Pratchett. Pratchett got his first story published when he was only 13 years old. Terence David John Pratchett, aka Terry, was born i...

Blues Music The Blues has had a major impact on the evolution of Rock and Roll, Hip Hop, Jazz, Rhythm and Blues and even Country and Bluegrass. Here we gather together great lenses about Blues Musicians. The music we know as the Blues originated w...

Bluegrass Music Bluegrass music was originally developed by Bill Monroe, who is often referred to as the "Founding Father of Bluegrass" Way back in 1939 Bill Monroe formed a band called The Blue Grass Boys. The name was taken from Monroe's home sta...