Bluegrass Bios

Earle, Steve

STEVE EARLE Born in Fort Monroe, Virginia; grew up in the San Antonio, Texas area. 1974, moved to Nashville to write songs. Mid-80’s, recorded for Epic Records, scored several hit records, including “Guitar Town (1986),” and “Goodbye’s All We

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Country Gazette, The

THE COUNTRY GAZETTE From Levelland, Texas. They were called “America’s Bluegrass Band.” Formed in 1970 in Los Angeles featuring Byron Berline (fiddle), Alan Munde (banjo), Kenny Wertz (guitar) and Roger Bush (bass). Herb Pederson was origi

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JackTown Ramblers, The

THE JACKTOWN RAMBLERS From Morganton, North Carolina. Formed in 2019 by Gabriel Wiseman (mandolin), Shanon Leasure (Guitar), Brett Setzer (banjo) and Mike Ramsey (bass). They play traditional bluegrass mixed with swing and gypsy jazz. 2

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Mackey, Bobby

BOBBY MACKEY From Wilder, Kentucky (near Cincinnati). Since 1978, has owned a night club called “Bobby Mackey’s” where he performs and hosts other country acts. Cincinnatti’s classic country radio station (WAOL) broadcasts live music from there

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Turning Ground

TURNING GROUND From Salyersville, Kentucky. Formed in January 2013 by Nathan Arnett (lead vocals, guitar), Jonathon Arnett (mandolin), Ralph Adams (guitar), Mike Daniels (banjo) and Chad Gilbert (bass). A later incarnation of the band include

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Fairchild, Raymond

RAYMOND FAIRCHILD From Maggie Valley, North Carolina. Called “King of the Smoky Mountain Banjo.” Born on an Indian reservation in Cherokee, North Carolina. Performed regularly at the Maggie Valley Opry House—a local country music perf

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Chapmans, The

THE CHAPMANS From Springfield, Missouri. (Originally from Denver, Colorado) Formed in 1989 by Bill and Patti Chapman (dad and mom) and three sons, John, Jeremy and Jason. 1994, moved to Missouri and were regulars at Silver Dollar City, nea

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Sizemore, Herschel

HERSCHEL SIZEMORE From Leighton, Alabama (near Muscle Shoals). Lives in Roanoke, Virginia. 1957-1965, played mandolin with the Alabama-based group, The Dixie Gentlemen (with Jake Landers and Rual Yarbrough). Recorded for United Artists. Ot

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Gangstagrass

GANGSTAGRASS From Brooklyn, New York. Formed in 2006 by record-producer and guitarist Rench (Oscar Owens) who combined bluegrass with hip-hop to record the theme song for the FX television network’s show “Justified.” 2014, released Rappala

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Ducktown Station

DUCKTOWN STATION From Ducktown, Tennessee. Formed in 2003 under the name Ducktown Station. Their music is described as “Cosmic Rockin’ Boogie Grass.” Their original music has been featured on NBC Sports, PBS “Roadtrip Nation” , FOX Spor

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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

Trending Today

Flashback

FLASHBACK From Tennessee/Kentucky. Formed in 2015 as a 20-year reunion...

Nance, David

DAVID NANCE From Oak Ridge, North Carolina (lives in Reidsville,...

Ohmsen, Tom

TOM OHMSEN From Salem, Virginia. A recording engineer/producer by occupation...

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!