Kuykendall, Mark

  • From Asheville, North Carolina.
  • His last name is pronounced KIR-ken-dall. He is not related to Pete or Kitsy Kuykendall (of Bluegrass Unlimited magazine.)
  • Kuykendall is a bluegrass veteran who began his professional career working with banjo player Raymond Fairchild. He plays guitar and several other bluegrass instruments.
  • 1979, formed his own band Mark Kuykendall and Smoky Mountain Bluegrass. He recorded one album with that group.
  • 1983, formed Mark Kuykendall and the Grass Cutters.
  • 1990, played bass with Jimmy Martin’s Sunny Mountain Boys.
  • 1993-1996, played bass with Bill Monroe and the Blue Grass Boys. He was Bill’s last bass player.
  • 1996-2015, retired from full-time music to raise his family and devote time to his antique car business.
  • 2015, teamed up with fiddler Bobby Hicks and a band called Asheville Bluegrass to record an album titled Down Memory Lane(Rebel).
  • 2017, released Forever and a Day album (Rebel).
  • 2023, passed away at the age of 60.