Alan Munde needs no introduction to long-time Bluegrass fans. From his early creative work with Sam Bush in Poor Richard's Almanac to his traditional bluegrass apprenticeship with Jimmy Martin and the Sunny Mountain Boys to his 21-year stint anchoring the landmark Country Gazette, Alan has blazed a trail as one of the most innovative and influential banjo players of all time. Along the way, Alan also recorded and contributed to numerous instrumental recordings, including the 2001 IBMA Instrumental Album of the Year - Knee Deep in Bluegrass. Alan has supplemented his recorded work with several instructional publications for the banjo, and, since 1986, Alan has taught Bluegrass and Country Music at South Plains College in Levelland, Texas, a program which has produced many professional musicians nationwide. In recent years, Alan has performed and recorded as a duo with his South Plains faculty colleague (and former Gazette-mate) Joe Carr. Alan's extensive body of recorded work, his instructional materials, and his work at South Plains (including the annual Camp Bluegrass) has solidified his status as one of the true 'gurus' of the 5-string. Alan currently serves on the Board of Directors of the International Bluegrass Music Association. He was profiled in the June 2005 issue of Bluegrass Now magazine.

"I've been a fan of Alan Munde's banjo playing for a long time and now he may have a rival for my musical affection. I love Elliott Rogers' singing on "Wave Goodbye" and "Little Teardrops." Made to Last is a strong bluegrass project -- great instrumentals and wonderful vocals. Thanks AMG! "

"Many thanks for your material and very fine CD. All the songs are 100% right for my "Bluegrass around the world" radio show. Audience response is great, special for "My Kentucky dream", "Darcy farrow" and "It's never too late". But I'm spinnin' also all the other greats." Pete Lenloy, Radio Carinzia, Vienna, Austria.

"Alan Munde Gazette's self-titled, debut release contains fresh and exciting presentations of a wide range of bluegrass material featuring songs by Bob Dylan, "Blind Lemon" Jefferson, Carter Stanley, and Dolly Parton. There are also original compositions by band members Alan Munde and Bill Honker. Bluegrass fans will groove on "This Morning at Nine," "Alberta Bound," "Daybreak in Dixie," "Darcy Farrow," and the gospel favorite, "Softly and Tenderly." Bluegrass Now Magazine, November 2004

"I found the release to be highly entertaining, with several cuts being my favorites: This Morning At Nine, Darcy Farrow, Softly & Tenderly; Never Ending Song of Love. Norris Long, Allegheny Mountain Radio, WVMR-AM; WVLS-FM; WCHG-FM Dunmore, WV; Monterey, VA; Hot Springs, Vaianship. This is fine music that deserves to be heard. Highly recommended." William Drake, Bluegrass Reflections

"I just wanted to write and tell you how much I enjoyed your new release as the Alan Munde Gazette. I was pleasantly surprised at the nice mix of music that never drifted outside the circle of great acoustic performances. I was especially pleased to hear "Deep Elum Blues." You may have just recorded the best version of this classic that I've ever heard. "Alberta Bound" was another nice surprise. I've actually never heard the song sung by anyone other than Gordon Lightfoot and George Hamilton, IV. It was nice to hear your upbeat approach to a great song. "Misty Morning Amble" is a delight to listen to over and over again. And "Darcy Farrow" is always welcome in my home and on my program. There's not a mis-step on the entire project. Thanks for the great work. We'll be playing from this a lot on Classicheartland.com." - Marvin O'Dell - Classicheartland.com - Goodyear, AZ

"Many thanks for sending us a copy of the new Alan Munde Gazette project. I like the new name (it's the only name that would really do) and I really like the new project-full of some neat tunes, cool arrangements and, of course, some of the tastiest banjo picking in the known acoustic universe. I especially enjoyed "Deep Ellum Blues" (your breaks on that one are just mouth-wateringly fine), "Alberta Bound" (Gordon Lightfoot's only real bluegrass tune, which no one has ever thought to cover), "Darcy Farrow," "It's Never Too Late" and "Don't Think Twice." I'll be doing my best to promote the heck out of it here in Nashville and in our other syndicated (public radio) locations. Thanks again for the sublime music!" - Dave Higgs Bluegrass Breakdown Nashville Public Radio

"...this initial CD by the Alan Munde Gazette brings a refreshing twist to the sometimes cookie-cutter bluegrass being produced today. It has an interesting regionalism in the voices and a laid back attitude in the execution. It?s a strong first effort by a new group." - Fireball Mail, the newsletter of the Southern Wisconsin Bluegrass Music Association

There were very few role models for a young woman starting out on the bluegrass highway back in the mid ‘70’s when Claire Lynch joined a band called Hickory Wind. A native of Kingston, New York, who has lived in Northern Alabama since the age of 12, Claire was offered a position in the band, decided she was going to be a bluegrass singer, and that was pretty much that. After changing its name to the Front Porch String Band, the group worked regularly throughout the Southeast over the next several years, becoming fan favorites on the strength of its open-minded musical approach and incredible lead singer.

But by 1981, despite a handful of well-received albums (including Claire’s first solo effort, Breakin’ It) and increasing word-of-mouth acclaim, the band had tired of the grind and called it quits. A decade would pass before the band regrouped, but Claire put the time to good use. In addition to raising a family, she launched dual careers as a songwriter (her songs have been recorded by Patty Loveless, the Seldom Scene, Cherryholmes, Kathy Mattea, the Whites and Stephanie Davis) and a session vocalist. Her exquisite harmonies have graced albums by such leading artists as Emmylou Harris, Dolly Parton, Linda Ronstadt, Patty Loveless, Pam Tillis, Kathy Mattea, Jesse Winchester, Sarah Watkins and Ralph Stanley.

A re-energized Front Porch String Band roared back onto the scene with their 1991 album, Lines and Traces. The success of that album and the band’s resumed touring led to Claire’s second solo album, the critically-acclaimed Friends for a Lifetime in 1993. Next came the Grammy-nominated Moonlighter in 1995, followed by 1997’s sublime Silver and Gold, which also received a Grammy nomination. During the next several years on the fast-track the Front Porch String Band evolved into one of the sharpest, most exciting post-modern bluegrass bands on the circuit. Their last recording effort was Rounder’s Love Light, a collection more-than-half comprised of original Claire Lynch songs and which was described as “a masterpiece… an Americana programmer’s true delight.

In 2000, husband and mandolinist Larry Lynch, founder and instrumental mainstay of the band from the beginning decided to follow his ever-increasing musical passion for Celtic style picking. For the next few years, Claire enjoyed another hiatus from the road while searching out new players. In the fall of 2004, she formed the Claire Lynch Band and begain extensive touring.

In the Winter of 2005, Claire signed her second three-album deal with Rounder Records. The first release, New Day (March ’06), was a top favorite pick for several publications, scored a #1 song on the National Bluegrass Survey and an IBMA nomination for “Song of the Year”. Next came the anthology collection, Crowd Favorites (October 2007) which earned another couple of top ten positions on the survey. Ms. Lynch describes her follow-up CD, Whatcha Gonna Do (September 2009) as “Americana-inflected bluegrass.” It took the #1 spot on the January 2010 BMP national bluegrass CD chart and was included in several “Top Pick” CD lists for 2009. In 2010 Claire was also awarded the IBMA's Female Vocalist of the Year Award for her second time.