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Bill Monroe: the first, the original bluegrass mandolin player; first came to prominence with brother Charlie in the Monroe Brothers; formed Blue Grass Boys (1938); for half a century remained the best bluegrass mandolin player. For more on Bill Monroe and the origins of bluegrass, click here.
Frank Wakefield: achieved greatest success working with Red Allen; took over as mandolin player of the Greenbriar Boys; if anyone other than Bill Monroe could be said to be the best mandolin player in bluegrass, Frank Wakefield would be the one; excellent traditional bluegrass, but also very creative.
Joe Stuart: the only person other than Bill Monroe to have played mandolin in the Blue Grass Boys (Monroe was onstage to sing, but because of an injury could not play); better known as a guitar, banjo, fiddle, & and bass player.
Jesse McReynolds: highly skilled and inventive; created an entirely new style of mandolin playing (often referred to as "McReynolds picking") based on cross picking, imitating the rolls of Scrugs-style banjo; widely known and respected for four decades of work with brother Jim in the popular bluegrass duo Jim and Jesse.
Bobby Osborne: superb mandolin player and tenor singer; has mainly worked with brother Sonny in the Osborne Brothers. In June 1949, Bobby made his first radio broadcast appearance at WPFB in Middletown, Ohio; that same year, Bobby (then 17 years old) joined the Lonesome Pine Fiddlers on guitar, with Larry Richardson on banjo and Ezra Cline on bass; formed the Sunny Mountain Boys with Jimmy Martin in 1950; also worked a few weeks for the Stanley Brothers, just prior to joining the Marine Corps.
Ralph Rinzler: best known for work in the Greenbriar Boys; a splendid gentleman and a knowledgable folklorist; introduced Doc Watson to national audiences.
Bob Jones: excellent bluegrass singer, largely in the style of Bill Monroe or Del McCoury; founded the Blue Ridge Mountain Boys; member of Bill Monroe's Blue Grass Boys (on guitar) in the mid-'70s; has fronted the Blue Ridge Mountain Boys with a variety of personnel since then, performing mainly overseas since the end of the '80s; better known as a guitarist and, more recently, fiddler.
Vernon Derrick: long-time mandolin player with Jimmy Martin's Sunny Mountain Boys.
John Duffey: first came to prominence with Country Gentlemen; later known as an original member of Seldom Scene.
Doyle Lawson: produced excellent work (on guitar also) with J. D. Crowe; later formed his own band, Quicksilver.
Larry Rice: originally known for work in California-based Rice Brothers band; best known for work with J. D. Crowe's band; more about Larry Rice.
David Grisman: an extremely skillful mandolinist; originally performed with the New York City Ramblers; made some excellent bluegrass with Red Allen; has since eschewed bluegrass for his own style of jazz, which he calls "Dawg Music"; more about Dave Grisman.
Hershel Sizemore: excellent and solidly bluegrass mandolin player.
Ronnie Reno: son of Don Reno; played mandolin in his father's band (from a very young age) for many years; then joined the Osborne Brothers; subsequently joined country singer Merle Haggard's band, The Strangers, as rhythm guitar.
Roland White: said by some to be the smoothest bluegrass mandolin player; with his brother Clarence worked as the White Brothers and later as the Kentucky Colonels; member (on guitar) of Bill Monroe's Blue Grass Boys in 1967-1968; subsequently moved to California to rejoin his brother; later played with Country Gazette.
Jimmy Guidreau: tremendous command of the mandolin; joined the Country Gentlemen when John Duffey left the group.
Donna Stoneman: gained attention with the Stoneman Family.
Earl Taylor: fronted his own group, the Stoney Mountain Boys; wrote and recorded some classic bluegrass; also toured with Lester Flatt & Earl Scruggs.
Massimo "Max" Gatti: excellent Italian bluegrass mandolin player; fronts his own group, Bluegrass Stuff; has also toured with Bob Jones in Europe.
Graeme Lovejoy: mandolin player with New Zealand's Hamilton County Bluegrass Band; also performed with Bob Jones.
Kenny Burns: When both were still living, Bill Monroe said that Kenny Burns was the best mandolin player alive. Burns, better known as Jethro in the magnificent comedy duo Homer and Jethro, never played bluegrass, but he was indeed a superb mandolin player and, particularly with Monroe's endorsement, merits inclusion here.
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