Michael Hughes

Singer-songwriter Marc Cohn found huge success in 1991 with “Walking In Memphis.” It helped win him a Grammy, and established his career as a gifted storyteller, soul man and steward of American roots music.

Telluride singer-songwriter Emily Scott Robinson mixes folk and country as she reflects on faith, loss, hope and regret. She just released her third album American Siren. The North Carolina native moved to Colorado for social work, but found her calling as a music artist. “They’re both healing professions,” Robinson said.

The pandemic took banjo player Chris Pandolfi off the road — no touring with his bluegrass band The Infamous Stringdusters. So, holed up in his Denver home studio, Pandolfi managed to pluck a more ambient sound from his rootsy instrument. Pandolfi calls this solo project “Trad Plus Presents Trance Bajo,” which plays on a term coined by the late mountain music pioneer, Doc Watson.

For Hispanic Heritage Month, our colleagues at Indie 102.3 are showcasing Latin acts in Colorado, including Katiria. The Denver-based singer was born and raised in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Denver bassist Charlie Burrell celebrated his 101st birthday with a visit to the Colorado Music Hall of Fame, where he was inducted in 2017. Check out Denverite’s story on that trip and listen to an excerpt of our Colorado Matters interview with Burrell from 2006 along with Burrell and the Ralph Sharon Trio playing at the Lakeside Amusement Park Jazz Club.

Jackson Melnick is a Crested Butte native who grew up going to bluegrass festivals and became an acoustic musician in his own right. Melnick’s debut album is called “Abilene.”

We remember a celebrated figure in folk and country-music. Nanci Griffith, the Texas-born singer-songwriter known for her crystalline voice and storytelling chops, died in August. She was 68. Griffith’s star rose in the late 1980s, including here in Colorado at the Telluride Bluegrass Festival. Author and historian G. Brown of the Colorado Music Experience, reflects.

When Colorado Matters came to Grand Junction in 2019, we met Curtiss O’Rorke Stedman, aka Cousin Curtiss.

Inaiah Lujan’s cover of “On the Road Again” for Colorado Matters is just a glimpse at his creativity. The sixth-generation Coloradan from Pueblo is well-versed in country music, and used the pandemic shutdown to focus self-care and to celebrate the release of his solo debut, “Do What You Want.”

The Lumineers and Gregory Alan Isakov covered each other’s songs for an upcoming compilation called “Amerikinda: 20 Years Of Dualtone.” It’s marks the label’s 20th anniversary. Dualtone, based in Nashville, has helped launch the careers of many Americana artists.

Colorado fans of NBC’s “The Voice” have a local hero to root for tonight. Devan Blake Jones will find out if America voted for him to continue. The Aurora native works at a tech firm, but dreams of a singing career.

Rachel Baiman has been in love with Colorado since she was in summer camp. The Nashville singer-songwriter went to Rocky Mountain Fiddle Camp in Divide, Colorado. It’s where she honed her musical craft — learning fiddle, then banjo, then guitar. That experience comes full circle when she returns to camp this summer as a teacher.

Our colleagues at CPR Classical are producing a yearlong series called “Journey to Freedom: The Spirituals Radio Project.” It’s a collaboration with M. Roger Holland II, who is an Assistant Professor of African American Music & Theology at the University of Denver’s Lamont School of Music. He’s also Director of DU’s Spirituals Project Choir. On a recent episode of “Journey to Freedom,” Holland reflects on the spiritual “He Never Said A Mumblin Word,” which imagines what Jesus Christ endured during the crucifixion.

“Message to the Mayor” is a new track from a collective of Denver hip-hop artists looking to raise awareness for people experiencing homelessness. The supergroup was organized by Jeff Campbell, head of Emancipation Theater Company, and features Jon Shockness, aka Kid Astronaut.

The Denver Botanic Gardens is bringing back “Evenings al Fresco” this summer, featuring musical acts, mostly acoustic solos and duos, throughout the Gardens for patrons to enjoy in an outdoor setting.

Like so many of us in the last year, Fort Collins poet Jodie Hollander found herself turning to nature for inspiration and escape from the pandemic.