bluegrass/country/folk

In "My Black Country: A Journey Through Country Music's Black Past, Present, and Future," author Alice Randall pairs her deep knowledge of the genre with her personal experience in the industry to document the often-untold stories of country's Black founders.

Taylor Swift isn’t in town, but her connections will make a local impact at Travis Kelce’s music festival and Jack Antonoff’s show at Grinders. Kansas City legend Tech N9ne, revenge song expert Ashley McBryde, and blues slinger Gary Clark Jr. round out the concert calendar.

This month marks the onset of the most rewarding season for music under the stars, and groove-rock band 311 is set to oblige Kansas City audiences outdoors. Waxahatchee, Kane Brown and others will entertain this April’s indoor listeners.

Many people who work and play in the Crossroads Arts District are concerned a downtown baseball stadium would close local businesses and disrupt the neighborhood's character. Jackson County residents will vote April 2 on whether to extend a 3/8th-cent sales tax to fund a new ballpark there.

The Rabbit Hole, a new museum in North Kansas City, is set to open next week. The museum hopes to immerse kids and parents in the world of children's literature. Plus: The indie rocker from Lawrence, Kansas, who's redefining his sound and flirting with folk music.

After moving from Lawrence, Kansas, to New York City, Freedy Johnston hit it big with his major-label debut album, and charted on the Billboard Top 100. The 'songwriters' songwriter' is now attempting a shift away from his rock roots.

This weekend at the Westin Crown Center Hotel, conference centers and hotel rooms will turn into concert venues as a part of Folk Alliance International’s annual conference. It bills itself as the largest gathering of the folk music industry and community in the world.

An uptick in this February concert calendar’s momentousness is the first sign that spring shows will be here before you know it. For now, performances from world-renowned artists like Ricky Martin, Enrique Iqlesias, Marty Stuart and Delfeayo Marsalis will have to suffice.

Every Monday for 25 years, a group of Kansas City musicians has gathered for the Rural Grit Happy Hour, a showcase of American roots music. Four days of shows are scheduled this weekend for the quarter-century anniversary.

Entertaining guests from out of town or in need of a break from your family? The holiday season is an ideal time to revisit what Kansas City has to offer, including the refined pianism of Alessio Bax and Lucille Chung, the unruly rock of Thelma and the Sleaze, the protest songs of Sunny War and the classic rock hits of John Waite.

Shows by Kansas City rap mainstay The Popper, artistic polymath Terence Blanchard, legendary soul singer Gladys Knight, and beloved pop star Mariah Carey punctuate our selection of the month’s best live music. They represent the year’s last gasp of greatness before winter puts a freeze on many touring acts.

Ahead of her concert on Saturday in Lenexa, Sarah Lee Guthrie joined KCUR's Up to Date to discuss growing up in a family of folk music royalty, her love of Austin's honky tonk scene, and why she loves touring so much.