The Appalachian region was, in the early days of the United States, a melting pot of cultures unto itself. Irish and Scottish immigrants carved a life out of the hills and hollers of the mountains.

Bluegrass and mass popularity are not a common match; they never have been. However, what bluegrass has that most popular musicians don’t have is a devout and incredibly steadfast cult following.

Though it's known for being when "flower power" was in full bloom, the 1960s were an incredibly fertile period for bluegrass, producing some of its most innovative and trailblazing sounds. That might ...