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Banks of the Ohio

Click on RBI to hear Banks of the Ohio. It airs twice a week on this schedule:

Thursdays at 8:00 AM CST (14:00 GMT) and Sundays at 6:00 AM CST (12:00 PM GMT).

Fred Bartenstein, founder and host of "Banks of the Ohio" from 2002 to 2008, has taped 170 timeless shows for your listening pleasure. Not only are these shows highly educational, but they also represent the recorded history of bluegrass music. These archived versions explore the rich history of bluegrass from 1936 to the present (and beyond), and are aimed at both knowledgeable and neophyte listeners.

There are six half-hour segments to each show, as follows:

  • Sources of Songs and Styles features a snippet of a pre-bluegrass recording, fading into a bluegrass version. You might be surprised to find out where some bluegrass songs come from!
  • Dawn of the Bluegrass Era plays songs from 1936-1954, from Hall of Honor inductees and lesser-known pioneers.
  • Starving Out covers 1955-1969, when rock and roll threatened the ability of bluegrass and traditional country musicians to earn a living and find an audience. Hard times forced us to get creative, and infiltrate country and folk markets.
  • The Festival Era replays music from 1970-1989, when festivals blossomed, building audiences and a new generation of musicians.
  • Modern Roots features bluegrass from 1990 to the present which builds upon what has come before -- the "traditional sound," freshly interpreted in the CD era.
  • Walls of Time to Come closes the show with a sampling of experiments in bluegrass, from the beginning to the present (and beyond). Not all of these experiments succeed, but they make for some interesting listening.

Having completed six years of shows on behalf of this museum, Fred has retired from producing radio shows and is now working with the museum to create an online treasure trove of biographical histories of the Pioneers of Bluegrass Music.  Visit this website each week to view another new bio of one of your favorite legends.

If you would like to contact Fred, send an email or visit his web site at www.fredbartenstein.com/bluegrss.html.