Ashby Frank’s “Knee Deep In Bluegrass,” his first single since the release of last year’s Leaving Is Believing, has topped this month’s Bluegrass Today radio chart. The song — which has been No. 1 on the weekly chart twice — is both a tribute to a beloved member of the bluegrass community and a compelling example of the musical power that created and sustained it.

For more than half a century now, the word “bluegrass” has been followed by “community” almost as often as it has been followed by “music” — no surprise for a music shared between devotees spanning generations, regions and cultures.

For more than half his life and all of this century, singer/songwriter/mandolinist Ashby Frank’s been too busy to find the time for making a follow-up to his 1999 debut album.

Ashby Frank’s “Midnight Highway” — his first single for Mountain Home Music Company — was No. 1 on this month’s Bluegrass Today chart.