Joey Gipson opened a shop so the town would have instruments, lessons, and somewhere to sit down and play.
The name
Stone Fort Music is named for the Old Stone Fort, the stone enclosure just west of Manchester. The walls are about two thousand years old. Early settlers took them for a fort. The eastern entrance lines up with the sunrise on the summer solstice.
The park is a piece of public history. The shop borrows only the idea: a marked place, built so people would come to it. Joey wanted that for acoustic music in town. He opened on East Main in late 2025, as 2026 was getting started.
Original print made for this site.
Joey Gipson
Joey started at six, playing country music on electric bass with his dad. At seven he moved to upright bass with his grandparents, who were devoted bluegrass players. At ten his grandfather taught him banjo.
He has won 24 state championships and three national top-three finishes. He plays in the three-finger Scruggs tradition and also draws on progressive newgrass: precise, fast, and melodic. He teaches, leads jams, and has played regional festivals.
Bluegrass music emerged in the United States during the 1940s, rooted in older Appalachian string band traditions. Its name comes from the band led by Bill Monroe, whose group, Bill Monroe and the Blue Grass Boys, developed a distinctive, high-energy sound that blended traditional fiddle tunes, gospel harmonies, and driving rhythms.
Earl Scruggs’ three-finger banjo picking became a hallmark of the style. The standard ensemble typically includes banjo, fiddle, mandolin, acoustic guitar, and upright bass, with tight vocal harmonies and instrumental breaks that showcase individual skill.
Learning bluegrass builds precision, timing, and listening. Jam sessions are welcoming rooms where players of different skill levels share tunes. Stone Fort, near Manchester, is an ancient Native American ceremonial site more than 2,000 years old. The surrounding Middle Tennessee hills sit in the same Appalachian-influenced culture that gave rise to the music — and to gatherings like the Stone Fort Bluegrass Festival.
If you want to start, we stock the instruments and we teach. Email us about lessons, or shop the catalog.
In the shop
Get to know Joey Gipson
Joey Gipson started playing music at 6 years old with his dad playing country music on the electric bass, then at 7 started playing the upright bass with his grandparents who were die-hard bluegrassers. At 10 he picked up a banjo taught by his grandfather. He has won 24 state championships and 3 national top-3 finishes and counting. He had an opportunity to open a store in early 2026 and Stone Fort Music was born.
Joey is known for an energetic picking style and deep roots in traditional bluegrass, blending Scruggs-style three-finger technique with progressive newgrass. He is also a mentor — through workshops, jam sessions, and lessons here in the shop.
