097 Kip Lornell and Tom Mindte on Buzz Busby, Father of DC Bluegrass

On this episode, Marc talks to Kip Lornell and Tom Mindte, co-authors of "Buzz Busby: Father of Washington, DC Bluegrass," published in June of 2026. It's a thorough and fascinating biography of the Bluegrass pioneer Buzz Busby, who moved from Louisiana to Washington DC as a teenager to work for the government, but quickly became an influential player and songwriter, starring on a daily local TV show, performing everywhere around the region, even participating in the show Louisiana Hayride when a budding young star named Elvis Presley was there.

Tom Mindte has worked on this project for decades, gathering recollections of Buzz and researching his life, as well as having played with Buzz himself in various groups. Kip Lornell is a professor and historian, particularly of DC music - in 2024, he wrote "Capital Bluegrass: Hillbilly Music Meets Washington, D.C.," which Mindte contributed to, and in 2009 he co-wrote "The Beat: Go-Go Music from Washington, D.C." with Charles Stephenson.

As they write, "This book is the result of some 20 years of research, including personal interviews with 35 of Buzz Busby's musical associates and family members. But a large part of the story is from the words of Busby himself, capture on tape in the mid-1980s...This quote from Busby sums up his view of his own life: "I started at the top and diligently worked my way to the bottom."

We hope you enjoy Marc's conversation with Kip Lornell and Tom Mindte!