New England Bluegrass King Joe Val on this week's Pickin

WHRO | By Barry Graham

Published April 25, 2025 at 11:58 AM EDT

Pickin on WHRV features two hours of traditional Bluegrass Music each Sunday night. This week, we'll hear selections from Larry Rice, Larry Sparks, Town Mountain, Bill Monroe and mandolin player Joe Val. Val, along with the Lilly Brothers helped popularize the genre in the 1960s in New England. The Lilly Brothers were regulars at the famed Hillbilly Ranch venue in Boston. Val would record with his own band The New England Bluegrass Boys and was considered by many as "The Voice of New England Bluegrass." He was posthumously inducted into the IBMA Hall of fame in 2018. Also, new music releases from The King James Boys, Red Camel Collective, and Big Country Bluegrass. Make it a habit- Sunday Night Pickin- 7-9 on WHRV.

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Barry Graham

Barry Graham used to arrive at WHRO with a briefcase full of papers and lesson plans. For 32 years he taught US and Virginia Government in the Virginia Beach Public Schools. While teaching was always his first love, radio was a close second. While attending Old Dominion, Barry was program director at WODU, the college radio station. After graduating, he came to WHRO as an overnight announcer. Originally intending to stay on only while completing graduate school, he was soon hooked on Public Radio and today is the senior announcer on WHRV. In 2001, Barry earned his Ph.D in Urban Studies by writing a history of WHRO and analyzing its impact upon local education, policy and cultural arts organizations.

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