High Lonesome: The Story of Bluegrass Music

Eleven time Fiddler of the Year and even a Grammy nominee, but that's just part of the story. Though born with disabilities that left him blind and partially deaf, Michael Cleveland is considered by many to be the greatest fiddler of all time.

No single figure in American music so dominated a genre as did Bill Monroe with bluegrass. BILL MONROE: FATHER OF BLUEGRASS MUSIC features performances by Bill Monroe & the Blue Grass Boys, Lester Flatt, Emmylou Harris, Paul McCartney, the Osborne Brothers, Dolly Parton, Ricky Skaggs, Marty Stuart, John Hartford and a once-in-a-lifetime Blue Grass Boys reunion featuring Del McCoury, Chubby Wise and Bill Keith. The film features archival footage and rare 1990s performances from Monroe's final years including many of the greatest songs from his six decades of recording.

No other place in the world has a romance with American bluegrass like the Czech Republic. Banjo Romantika introduces the musicians who play this unique bluegrass hybrid. Czechs first heard bluegrass during World War II when the Armed Forces Network broadcast American music for soldiers. The music represented freedom to dissatisfied Czechs living in a communist state. Czechs' love for the music was solidified when Pete Seeger visited and performed in 1964. Inspired by classic American bluegrass sounds, an assortment of musicians from across the formerly communist Czech Republic have melded the past, the political and the present into a lively musical tradition entirely its own.

Beautiful Thing is a year in the life of Larry Keel. The film follows Larry and The Larry Keel Experience as they canvas from coast to coast, playing night after night in search of bigger and better crowds during 2002. Audiences range from a handful of disengaged people to standing ovations at world-renowned bluegrass festivals. Larry Keel remains somewhat obscure to audiences because his style, his interpretation of bluegrass and roots music is so personal that it is almost impossible to define, and subsequently, it is almost impossible to market. So Larry battles on, night after night, city after city, slowly generating a following of true believers, fans who sit and stare and smile in awe of this beautiful thing. Beautiful Thing is a glimpse into the life and spirit of a true artist, during his many tours and performances of 2002.

Greensky Bluegrass took the stage to perform live at Red Rocks Amphitheatre on Sunday September 15th, 2019 for a magically unforgettable evening. Billy Strings opened the event with his legendary flatpicking skills, then later returned to the stage to join the headliners during their set for a second round.

Fronted by one of the most accomplished banjo players of his time, Bela Fleck and the Flecktones are captured live in concert on Live at the Quick. The versatile band performs just over a dozen songs including such radically different compositions as "Amazing Grace," "Big Country," "Hoedown," and the prelude from a Bach violin concerto.

In 2010, The Carolina Chocolate Drops stunned the music world, taking home the Traditional Folk Album Grammy for their debut album, Genuine Negro Jig. Founded in 2005 in Raleigh, North Carolina, the old-time string band members included Rhiannon Giddens, Dom Flemons and Justin Robinson, who were all inspired by the work of black fiddler Joe Thompson. As the documentary charts the band’s sudden rise, it also looks at the influence of their mentor, Thompson, and the African origins of the banjo.

Captures the music and mood of the 1972 old time music festival 1973 held at the home of brothers John and Dave Morris in Ivydale, West Virginia. These annual "back porch" festivals were famous for their outstanding fiddle, banjo, and ballad music, as well as for their persistent rain and mud. About thirty musicians are featured.

The life and times of The Carter Family, one of the earliest and most-influential group in American country and roots music.

The legendary Colorado-based folk band Elephant Revival is known for their ethereal harmonies, incredible musicality, and haunting sound. And after a four-year hiatus, they reunited in 2023 and graced the stage of Telluride Bluegrass Festival in 2024 – one of the most beautiful places in the world.

Jerry Garcia, legendary lead guitarist for the Grateful Dead and David Grisman, virtuoso mandolinist and founder of "Dawg" music… Now, for the first time ever, the musical matrimony and extraordinary friendship of Garcia and Grisman is traced in the award-winning documentary Grateful Dawg.

Bill Gaither and bluegrass expert Marty Stuart trace the history of mountain and country music with the help of the Homecoming Friends and legendary artists from the bluegrass field. Joining the Isaacs, the Lewis Family, the Easters and other Homecoming Friends are Ralph Stanley, Ricky Skaggs, Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver, the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Marty Raybon, Del McCoury and others in the first ever Bluegrass Homecoming video!

Fellow musicians talk about the career and impact of Kentucky native J.D. Crowe, one of bluegrass music's most accomplished and influential performers and bandleaders. Crowe was instrumental in the careers of Ricky Skaggs, Tony Rice, Keith Whitley and Jerry Douglas and was voted into the International Bluegrass Music Museum Hall of Fame in his own right in 2003.

The story of Bobby and Sonny Osborne, better known as The Osborne Brothers, one of the most successful bluegrass groups of all time. Born in Hyden, Kentucky, they achieved world wide recognition with their 1967 single, “Rocky Top.”

Star Power shines in this collection of live video recordings by some of bluegrass music's biggest names. Any fan can tell you that bluegrass music is best when experienced live. The DVD features legendary artists, the Osborne Brothers, Reno & Smiley, Chubby Wise, Jim & Jesse McReynolds, and the Coon Creek Girls in front of live audiences. A full hour of live & studio recordings.

Recorded over two evenings, April 29th and 30th 2002, at the Louisville Palace in Louisville, Kentucky this set manages to combine both great playing and great sound. Union Station's core members, Dan Tyminsky on guitar, mando, and baritone vocals, Ron Block on banjo, guitar, and tenor vocals, and Barry Bales on acoustic bass, are joined by Jerry Douglas on dobro and Larry Atamanuik on drums.

For one historic evening, American music legends Earl Scruggs, Doc Watson, and Ricky Skaggs joined forces as The Three Pickers, to film a concert for public television. The music they made before a North Carolina audience is as relaxed as a front porch picking session. Informed by the skill and good humor of the three master musicians who contributed so much to the creation and evolution of bluegrass music. With special guest Alison Krauss.

Indie folk heroes Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros, Tennessee’s Old Crow Medicine Show, and Britain’s acclaimed Mumford & Sons, climbed aboard a beautiful vintage train in California, setting out for New Orleans, Louisiana on a “tour of dreams”. The resulting film from this journey is nothing short of magical. Part road movie and part concert film, BIG EASY EXPRESS bears witness to the birth of a new musical era. With poignancy and beauty, Malloy documents these incredible musicians as they ride the rails and wow the crowds, from Oakland… to New Orleans.

Filmed on location in seven different states during 1980-1981, America’s most loved and original music genre is the subject of “That’s Bluegrass”. This care-free, fast-moving documentary lovingly examines our home-grown musical heritage from the simple front porch fiddler to famous Nashville recording stars, listening in as accomplished amateurs do some “pickin and grinning” at outdoor festivals and play songs handed down from generation to generation.

An in-depth look at the life and career of veteran illustrator and bluegrass musician John Holder.