Banjo player Roger Sprung was known as the godfather of progressive bluegrass and helped usher in New York’s mid-century folk scene. His style became known as “newgrass.”
This tribute is one of 44 short yet illuminating episodes about significant figures in the music industry who passed away in 2023.
To hear Sprung perform "One Morning in May," an old English folk song, you can go to this video of him at the Clifftop Music Festival in 2014.
The picture in the chapters is the cover of his CD, "Progressive Bluegrass and Other Instrumentals."
Also in the chapters, you can go right to the tribute by skipping my intro; feel free to skip my closing remarks too. Both are there to provide context for those who haven't listened to the other tributes.
My guest Sheldon Zoldan, a longtime writer and newspaper editor, wrote these tributes and recorded them. He also writes Song of the Day, a music-related story sent daily to an email list of subscribers. To get on his subscriber list, emailshzoldan@comcast.netwith the subject line ADD ME TO SOTD.
Audio engineer/musician Mike Villegas edited all the audio for this series. Hope you enjoy these intriguing glimpses into the lives of the people who made some of the music we love.
This is Kate Jones. Thank you for listening to Everyday Creation, available on YouTube and in podcast directories including Apple, Audible, iHeart and Spotify.
