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We are thrilled to announce Laura Boosinger's first visit to Mountaingrass.  Laura is a leading USA Old-Time and Bluegrass music master.  

The reigning queen of the clawhammer banjo Laura Boosinger makes her first visit to Mountaingrass, joining forces with foremost mandolin guru Mike Compton as The Knackered Ramblers to bring their unique blend of Old-Time string band and Bluegrass music to Australia for the first time.  

It will be such a privilege to sit at the feet of these music legends at Mountaingrass in Bright, 14-16 November 2025.

Laura Boosinger

After living throughout the south of the USA during her teenage years Laura Boosinger’s family moved to North Carolina in 1975 when Laura was seventeen. The next year her life took a dramatic shift when she enrolled at Warren Wilson College where she learned that she could take banjo lessons for college credit.

Having no idea what she had really signed up for, she met clawhammer banjo guru David Holt and began a lifelong friendship with her mentor. She “designed” her own college major around Appalachian music and studies. This was the start of Laura’s long career as a band member, solo performer, teacher, mentor and broadcaster, enriching the Bluegrass and Old-Time music traditions across the mountain and foothills counties of Western North Carolina.

Many US conventions, festivals, workshops and concerts feature Laura Boosinger’s talents on a variety of traditional stringed instruments, including Old-Time banjo, guitar, Appalachian dulcimer and fingerstyle autoharp. Laura also serves as a Master of Ceremonies for The Mountain Dance and Folk Festival, the oldest folk festival in the USA.

The album “Mountain Treasures” that Laura recorded with George Shuffler in 2003 is considered iconic and a must for those interested in mountain music.

Image:  Laura at IBMA

Laura Boosinger's first visit to Mountaingrass in 2025