Bluegrass Bios

Sizemore, Charlie

CHARLIE SIZEMORE From Magoffin County, (eastern) Kentucky. 1976, began performing with his father in a local bluegrass band and also worked briefly with the Goins Brothers. 1997, at age 17 replaced Keith Whitley as guitarist and lead singe

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Shady Grove Band, The

THE SHADY GROVE BAND From Chapel Hill, North Carolina.. Formed in 1981 by Jerry Brown (guitar) and Charles Pettee (mandolin). Have toured Europe several times. Sponsored by the North Carolina Arts Council and the Southern Arts Federation.

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Ellis, Wyatt

WYATT ELLIS From Maryville, Tennessee. He began playing mandolin at age 10. 2020 (age 11), he was selected for a Tennessee Folklife apprenticeship under the tutelage of Sierra Hull. 2022 (age 12), he performed at the IBMA Awards show wi

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Tennessee Gentlemen, The

THE TENNESSEE GENTLEMEN From Memphis, Tennessee. Formed in 1967 by mandolinist Troy Castleberry, a Memphis fireman. For 10 years, the group practiced and performed every Friday night at The Bluegrass Shack in Memphis. It was a 100-year-old two

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High Windy

HIGH WINDY From Asheville, North Carolina. Formed in 2004. Named for a sweeping ridgeline near Asheville. Members: Patrick McDougall (banjo), Shane Lail (guitar), Ty Gilpin (mandolin), Tim Gardner (fiddle), Mark Davis (bass). Much of the ba

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Ulisse, Donna

DONNA ULISSE From Hampton, Virginia Name is pronounced “You-liss-ee.” Began singing at age 3 by wandering onstage with a bluegrass band at a family Bar-B-Q Married to Rick Stanley, a cousin of Ralph and Carter. Ralph and the Clinch Mo

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Meyer, Johnny (Meyerband)

MEYER BAND (JOHNNY MEYER) From Sheldon, Missouri (near Joplin); moved to Nashville in 2014. A family band featuring four siblings, Johnny (banjo), David (guitar), Mary (mandolin) and Jim (bass). 2009, won the Youth in Bluegrass competition

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Hillmen, The

THE HILLMEN From Los Angeles, California. Formed in the early 1960’s by Don Parmley (banjo), Vern Gosdin (guitar) and Rex Gosdin (bass). Chris Hillman (mandolin) joined the group in 1963 after playing with the Scottsville Squirrel Barkers.

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Garcia, Jerry

JERRY GARCIA Founder and leader of the legendary rock group The Grateful Dead. 1962, played banjo with two bands—the Wild Wood Boys and Sleepy Hollow Hog Stompers. 1963, formed The Black Mountain Boys with David Nelson and Sandy Rothman.

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Walker, Bradley

BRADLEY WALKER From Athens, Alabama. Confined to a wheel chair since childhood, he was born with Muscular Dystrophy. Began singing as a child. At age 3, attended an Oak Ridge Boys concert and backstage, sang “Elvira” with them. They were so i

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Find an Artist

This web site contains short profiles of the best-known bluegrass artists and bands.

Use the Search Band or Artist function located at the top of the sidebar on the right to find an artist by name.
Or, utilize the Artist List drop-down below the search function in the right sidebar to search by the first letter of their last name if an individual – or – the first letter of a band name.

Check Out These Artists

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Harris, Greg

GREG HARRIS From Los Angeles, California. Former member of Byron...

OBrien, Tim

TIM O’BRIEN From Wheeling, West Virginia. Lives in Nashville. A...

Baker, Jessie

JESSIE BAKER From Martinsville, Indiana. Lives in Georgetown, Kentucky. At...

Access the Bluegrass Calendar

In the navigation at the top of the website, choose a month and then scroll through the days.

Programming Suggestions

Need some music for holidays and other special occasions? Look to the right, I where you’ll find the occasion and some song suggestions to meet your programming needs.

Some Background

A great big howdy to ya, I’m Wayne Rice, a bluegrass radio programmer from San Diego, California. I began compiling this material in 1988 for DJ’s like myself who want to at least sound knowledgeable about bluegrass music on the air. Originally I published Bluegrass Bios® in a three-ring binder and sold it to DJs around the country … but now it’s here on the web and it’s free! Use it for your show prep, or just enjoy learning more about the amazing artists who play and sing bluegrass music. If you find errors or wish to make a suggestion, please contact me. Thanks!