Pretty Good For A Girl

Before she started writing her new book “Pretty Good for Girl: Women in Bluegrass” Murphy Henry thought she was one of only a few women trying to make bluegrass music. But as she found out, there are lots of women who have had successful careers, they just hadn’t gotten any attention for it. This hour on Focus, guest host Chris Berube talks with Murphy about the history of women in bluegrass, why these musicians have slipped under the radar and why, before now, there’s been so little conversation about their contributions to the genre. We’ll also talk with Murphy about her own musical career, her love for playing the banjo and the “Murphy Method,”a technique she pioneered to teach banjo.

We also talk with her about Champaign-Urbana native Alison Krauss and her career and contributions to bluegrass music.

Read more for a video of Murphy playing the banjo and explaning why she wrote the book. 

Are you a bluegrass fan? Do you have favorite female artists you think have been overlooked? We want to hear from you this hour on Focus!