bluegrass

Alan Jackson (born October 17, 1958) is an American country singer-songwriter who has sold over 50 million records. He was influenced by the new traditional country of the 1980s, and he was one of the most popular country singers of the 1990s, blending both honky tonk and mainstream country sounds and penning many of his own hits. His success continued into the 2000s and his music became increasingly counterposed with that of more mainstream country acts that were moving toward a more pop music sound.

The Foghorn Stringband (composed of local Americana all-stars Caleb Klauder, Stephen “Sammy” Lind, Peter Leone, Nadine Landry and Patrick Lind) features tight intstrumental work and a line-up — fiddle, banjo, mandolin, bass and guitar — reminiscent of early bluegrass, but their powerful approach is whole-heartedly Old Time, centered largely by the fiddle. Devoted to the interpretation and performance of American stringband music, their style encompasses early country music, the fiddle repertoire of the Southern Appalachians and the Midwest, and the stringband sounds of the Piedmont region.

The Avett Brothers are a non-traditional bluegrass band that originated in Concord, North Carolina. The two brothers, Seth and Scott, formed the group after the breakup of the former rock band, Nemo, adding a third member, Bob Crawford. More recently, they have been joined by cellist Joe Kwon. The Avett Brothers combine old-time country, bluegrass, punk, pop melodies, folk, rock and roll, honky tonk and ragtime to produce a sound described by the Washington Post as "post civil-war modern rock", or by other reviewers as "grungegrass".

Alison Krauss (born July 23, 1971) is an American bluegrass-country singer, songwriter and fiddler. Signed to Rounder Records as a 14-year-old fiddler from Champaign, Illinois, she has become the most recognized face in contemporary bluegrass, a critically acclaimed artist who has brought modern sophistication to the genre while respecting its traditions. Songfacts reports that in 2011 Krauss recorded her first ever number one country album in her home country with paper airplane.