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The Bluegrass Place

Bluegrass Bands
       This page is still under construction. If you have any bluegrass anecdotes, photographs, or other items of interest you'd like to share, please email us.


Blue Grass Boys: the original and defining bluegrass band; founded by Bill Monroe, the father and inventor of bluegrass music in 1938 and fronted by him for more than half a century of superb music; most of the best musicians in bluegrass have worked in the Blue Grass Boys.

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Foggy Mountain Boys: the bluegrass group founded by and featuring Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs after they left Bill Monroe's Blue Grass Boys; regular members included virtuoso dobro player Josh Graves and bassist/comedian Jake Tullock;.other members included Everett Lilly, Earl Taylor, Paul Warren, and Johnny Johnson.

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Stanley Brothers and the Clinch Mountain Boys: a very traditional band with a distinctly old-time sound; Ralph and Carter Stanley and a variety of sidemen anchored by the multi-talented George Shuffler; at one point, near the end of Carter's life, the brothers had difficulty retaining a full band and were referred to by many as "the Stanley Brothers and the Clinch Mountain Boy", a reference to the loyal and versatile Shuffler.

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Jim & Jesse and their Virginia Boys: a distinctive brother duo fronting a solid bluegrass band; also noteworthy for Jesse's distinctive cross-picking mandolin style; began performing together in 1942 but began performing bluegrass in 1949; joined Grand Ole Opry in 1964; formed their own record label (Old Dominion) in 1973; Jim & Jesse introduced many excellent musicians to a national audience (e.g., Carl Jackson). This wonderful duet ended, when Jim passed away on New Year's Eve, December 31, 2002. More about Jim & Jesse.


Del McCoury Band: formed by Del McCoury after he left Bill Monroe's Blue Grass Boys; features the powerful bluegrass singing of Del McCoury; one of the very best.

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Osborne Brothers: distinctive lush vocal trios; consistently one of the best bluegrass bands; first gained national recognition with Red Allen on guitar and lead vocals; other notable guitarists with the group include Jimmy Martin, Dale Sledd, & Ronnie Reno; More about the Osborne Brothers.

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Blue Ridge Mountain Boys: extremely versatile, diverse group, with Monroe-esque vocal solos and duets as well as Osborne- (and other) style trios; founded and fronted by Bob Jones; more about the Blue Ridge Mountain Boys.

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Sunny Mountain Boys: originally, a band founded by Jimmy Martin and Bobby Osborne in 1950; the name languished when they went their separate ways until revived by Jimmy (1955) for his own band.

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Lonesome Pine Fiddlers: not originally a bluegrass band; began featuring bluegrass in 1949; original (bluegrass) lineup included Bobby Osborne (then 17 years old and playing guitar), Larry Richardson (banjo), Ezra Cline (bass), and Ray Morgan (fiddle); later versions of the band included other members of the Cline family and the Goins brothers.

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Country Gentlemen: Washington, D.C. area band with a national reputation; original members were Charlie Waller (who led the group until his death in August of 2004), John Duffey (mandolin), Eddie Adcock (banjo), & Tom Gray (bass); excellent harmonies.

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Seldom Scene: formed by John Duffey (mandolin), Ben Eldridge (banjo), John Starling (guitar), Mike Auldridge (dobro), & Tom Gray (bass) when Duffey left the Country Gentlemen; superb harmonies, somewhat innovative/experimental repertory.

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Kentucky Colonels: solid bluegrass; featured Clarence White on guitar and his brother Roland White on mandolin, Billy Ray Latham on banjo, & Roger Bush (also an excellent banjo player) on bass and entertaining emcee work.

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Greenbriar Boys: originally an urban bluegrass band, founded by Ralph Rinzler (mandolin), John Herald (guitar), & Bob Yellin (banjo); later versions included Frank Wakefield, Jimmy Buchanan, Bob Jones, and others.

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Lilly Brothers: a traditional, almost pre-bluegrass, style; originally featured Everett & Bea Lilly on mandolin and guitar and Don Stover on banjo; later versions included singer Bob Jones (usually on guitar), Louis Arsenault (mandolin), Herb Applin (fiddle), and others and a more mainline bluegrass sound.

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Country Gazette: modern but not quite newgrass; superb instrumentally but with no particularly outstanding singers; included Byron Berline, Alan Munde, & Roland White. See also Berline, Crary, Hickman.

 


The Dillards: brothers Doug and Rodney Dillard on banjo and guitar, the late and much lamented Mitchell Jayne on bass, and various other sidemen; one of their albums featured Byron Berline on fiddle; Mitch Jayne's emcee work contributed enormously to the band's performances, and the group never really survived his departure. For more about the Dillards, click here.

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Northern Lights: originated in Boston with Danny Marcus on banjo;

 


Canyon Grass: formed in the early 1970s by Abe Brown with his daughter Jeanne (vocals) and son Kenny (bass -- no relation to the banjo player of the same name) and Bob Jones on mandolin and sometimes guitar.

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Berline, Crary, Hickman: Byron Berline's subsequent project to Country Gazette. Lead guitar player Dan Crary, formerly of the New Grass Revival, and John Hickman, a superb banjo player, joined Berline in this instrumental powerhouse. Like the Gazette, BCH featured no strong singer but excellent instrumentals.

 


 


 


Native Sons of the Golden West: formed by Geoff Stelling, the original group also included Bob Jones and a young Stuart Duncan.

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       This page is still under construction. If you have any bluegrass anecdotes, photographs, or other items of interest you'd like to share, please email us.
             


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