Pinecastle Records
Labels / Record Companies
Pinecastle Records is a bluegrass label founded in Orlando, Florida, in 1989 by Tom Riggs, a Pizza Hut franchise owner turned bluegrass impresario. He started it as a favor to bluegrass veteran Bill Harrell, who wanted an outlet for a CD by his son Mitch. From Orlando Riggs also ran a syndicated radio show, American Acoustic Country, which aired on more than 250 stations, and a bluegrass record distributor called The Music Shed. Pinecastle grew to about 250 releases, including reissues by the Osborne Brothers and Jim & Jesse. The label moved to Columbus, North Carolina, in 2005. It briefly shut down in February 2010 when Riggs's health failed, then was revived that August by physician and bluegrass fan Lonnie Lassiter, who still runs it.