This week’s Bluegrass Today Weekly Top 20 Countdown comes with a few surprises — a new number one, six brand-new debuts, and ten favourites returning to the chart, including a couple of ties that push us to 22 songs in total.

We’ll hear from rising stars like Mountain Grass Unit, East Nash Grass, and Daniel Grind-staff & The Uptown Troubadours, along with bluegrass heavyweights The Travelin’ McCourys, Junior Sisk, and Balsam Range.

And between the chart action, Mike shares one of his favourite true stories — about listener Tom “Gumby” Carlson, an IT engineer who once wintered over at the Amundsen–Scott South Pole Station. With a handful of borrowed instruments, he taught his fellow scientists to play old-time tunes and led the first-ever square dance at the South Pole — where, of course, everyone stood on the north side of the square!

Music, stories, and a touch of history — all wrapped up in two hours of the best bluegrass anywhere.

This week’s Countdown celebrates a mix of long-running chart favourites and powerful new arrivals — with fresh stories, gospel inspiration, and even a trip to the South Pole.

🏆 Highlights

• Alison Krauss & Union Station return after a 14-year break with “Richmond on the James.”
  
  
• Jason Carter & Michael Cleveland dominate again — three songs in the Top 20, including the IBMA-decorated “Outrun the Rain.”
  
  
• Shelby Means, Ashby Frank, and Volume Five all climb steadily.
  
  
• Emotional debut for Bobby Osborne & C.J. Lewandowski with “Blue Heartache,” recorded as a tribute after Bobby’s passing.
  
  
• Will Clark launches his solo career with “A Different Kind of Lonesome.”
  
  
• Kevin Denney holds the #1 spot with “Gulf Shore Line,” featuring Andy Leftwich, Rob Ickes, Darrin Vincent & Jaelee Roberts.
  
  
• Four-way tie on the Gospel Chart led by Eighteen Mile, High Road, Joe Mullins & The Radio Ramblers, and Kristy Cox, with Jerry Salley & The Oak Ridge Boys just behind — the Oaks’ final studio recording by their original lineup.
  
• Runtime 104 minutes (68 minutes of music + features, stories & Countdown commentary).
  
  🔗 Credits
  
  Produced by Hawkesbury Radio with the cooperation of BluegrassToday.com.
  All songs from the BluegrassToday Weekly Airplay Chart, used by permission.
  Licensed for full-music podcasting under APRA Australia guidelines.
  
  

This week: a brand-new #1 that rocketed from #18 last week to the top, plus five debuts and five songs returning to the countdown. We spin all 20 songs in full, then take a quick look at the BluegrassToday Gospel chart to round things out. Along the way, watch for long-runners still holding strong and a few surprise collaborations making noise on radio.

Highlights

• 🔹 New #1: last week’s debut at #18 jumps straight to the summit
  
  
• 🔹 5 debuts and 5 returners on the main chart
  
  
• 🔹 All 20 tracks played in full (no snippets)
  
  
• 🔹 Spotlight check-in on the BluegrassToday Gospel Top 7
  
  
• 🔹 A 20-week run continues for Alison Krauss & Union Station—can it make the full six months?
  
  

Support the show

If you enjoy the countdown, please consider supporting us on Patreon—it helps with licensing, hosting, and keeping Studio 5A humming.
👉 [Patreon link]

Host: Mike Kear — Studio 5A, northwest Sydney, Australia
Powered by: BluegrassToday Weekly Top 20 Countdown

(Thanks for listening. See you next week with a fresh chart!)

This week’s BluegrassToday Weekly Top 20 Countdown is packed with chart action and award news!

🎶 Highlights:

• A brand-new #1: — 16 weeks on the chart and their 4th time at the very top.
  
  
• 4 debuts including songs from Downriver Collective, Authentic Unlimited, Alison Brown & Steve Martin, and Zeb Snyder.
  
  
• 8 returning songs proving their staying power on bluegrass radio.
  
  
• Special mentions of the IBMA Award winners from last week — tying the chart to the biggest night in bluegrass.
  
  

Mike Kear brings you the top 20 songs from the BluegrassToday airplay chart, along with backstories, industry news, and a few witty asides. Recorded in Studio 5A in Sydney, Australia, and heard worldwide.

🕒 Total show length: 104 minutes.

📌 About the Countdown:
The BluegrassToday Weekly Top 20 Countdown reflects what’s happening on bluegrass radio around the world. Updated weekly, it’s the most accurate snapshot of today’s bluegrass scene.

A brand-new #1, three debuts, nine returns, and even two ties — twenty-two songs in the Top 20! Bluegrass legends and rising stars all here in this week’s BluegrassToday Countdown.
This week’s BluegrassToday Weekly Top 20 Countdown is packed with stories and surprises. We welcome three brand-new debuts, nine strong returnees, and even a couple of ties — which means twenty-two songs in the Top 20! At the top, there’s a brand-new number one from bluegrass legend Larry Sparks, proving there’s still plenty of room for the masters alongside the rising stars.

Along the way you’ll hear Ashby Frank, Williamson Branch, Joe Mullins & The Radio Ramblers, Appalachian Road Show, Wyatt Ellis, and many more. As always, Mike Kear brings you the latest chart direct from Sydney, Australia, with backstories, playful asides, and the best bluegrass in the world.

Don’t miss this week’s countdown — the official chart from BluegrassToday, played in full and shared with stations around the globe.

This week’s Countdown has it all — comebacks, debuts, big moves, and a brand-new #1 from Zeb Snyder with “Dollar Bill Blues.” Hear every song in full, plus an interview about MountainGrass, Australia’s premier bluegrass event.

This week’s BluegrassToday Weekly Top 20 Countdown is packed with action on the chart:

• Zeb Snyder rockets from #14 all the way to #1 with his stunning take on Dollar Bill Blues.
  
  
• Appalachian Road Show return to the Top 3 with Della Jane’s Heart, a song that’s already been #1 four times.
  
  
• Benson keep the pressure on with Lover of the Road, holding strong near the top.
  
  
• We’ve also got debuts from Darin & Brooke Aldridge and a second appearance this week by Chris Jones & The Night Drivers, this time featuring Jim Lauderdale.
  
  

There’s even more packed in:

• An interview about MountainGrass, the premier bluegrass event in Australia.
  
  
• Fresh stories and insights behind the songs and artists.
  
  
• And a few surprises along the way.
  
  

As always, you’ll hear every song in full, so settle in and enjoy the very best of today’s bluegrass.

The BluegrassToday Weekly Top 20 Countdown with Mike Kear — direct from Windsor, Australia. This week’s chart plus Bluegrass on the Rise, five fast-rising tracks rocketing toward the Top 20.

We count down the 20 most played songs in bluegrass radio, direct from the BluegrassToday airplay chart — plus we spotlight five fast-rising tracks in our Bluegrass on the Rise segment, songs that are rocketing up the chart and could be Top 20 before long.

Featured this week:

• Vickie Vaughn Band – Leavin’
• Billy Strings – Leaning on a Travelin’ Song
• Tony Trischka (feat. Vince Gill) – Bury Me Beneath the Willow
• Chris Davis – Gold Rush Town
• Kody Norris Show – Tennessee

You’ll also hear news, backstories, and a full 108 minutes of bluegrass radio — with every song played in full.

Whether you’re tuning in from the U.S., Australia, or anywhere else in the world, you’ll get the very best of today’s bluegrass music, straight from the source.

The BluegrassToday Weekly Top 20 Countdown with Mike Kear — direct from Windsor, Australia. This week’s chart plus Bluegrass on the Rise, five fast-rising tracks rocketing toward the Top 20.

We count down the 20 most played songs in bluegrass radio, direct from the BluegrassToday airplay chart — plus we spotlight five fast-rising tracks in our Bluegrass on the Rise segment, songs that are rocketing up the chart and could be Top 20 before long.

Featured this week:

• Vickie Vaughn Band – Leavin’
• Billy Strings – Leaning on a Travelin’ Song
• Tony Trischka (feat. Vince Gill) – Bury Me Beneath the Willow
• Chris Davis – Gold Rush Town
• Kody Norris Show – Tennessee

You’ll also hear news, backstories, and a full 108 minutes of bluegrass radio — with every song played in full.

Whether you’re tuning in from the U.S., Australia, or anywhere else in the world, you’ll get the very best of today’s bluegrass music, straight from the source.