Bluegrass Bios

Big Country Bluegrass

BIG COUNTRY BLUEGRASS From Independence, Virginia. Formed by Tommy and Teresa Sells in 1987. Perform what some call “Galax” or “Mt. Airy” bluegrass: a very hard core traditional sound. James King is a former member of this band. Thei

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Loveless, Patty

PATTY LOVELESS From Pikeville, Kentucky (lives in Nashville.) Began her professional music career as a teenager singing with the Wilburn Brothers. Her name was Patricia Ramey at the time. She married the Wilburn’s drummer, Terry Loveless upon g

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Pinnacle Boys, The

THE PINNACLE BOYS From Knoxville, Tennessee. A band featuring Bud Brewster (guitar), Larry Mathis (banjo), Jim Smith (mandolin), Randall Collins (fiddle), Jerry Moore (fiddle) and Ray Rose (bass). Brewster and his brother Willie previously

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Connell, Dudley

DUDLEY CONNELL From the Washington, D.C. area. 1975, founded the Johnson Mountain Boys, playing guitar and singing lead. Led this group until the band’s final breakup in 1994. 1989-1998, worked as manager at the Smithsonian/Folkways record co

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Wallace, Matt

MATT WALLACE From Knoxville, Tennessee. Began playing bass at age 10. Has played bass with David Parmley and Continental Divide, Audie Blaylock and Redline, Pine Mountain Railroad, and Paul Williams and The Victory Trio. 2013, joined the Ma

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Williams, Junior

JUNIOR WILLIAMS From Irvine, Kentucky Plays banjo and guitar. 2001-2013, played banjo with Newfound Road. 2011-2019, formed NewTown with fiddler Katie Penn, whom he married. 2019, Newtown was dissolved, as was his marriage to Kati.

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American Drive

AMERICAN DRIVE From Ohio/Eastern Kentucky area. Formed in 2012 by former members of J.D.Crowe’s band “The New South” (after Crowe retired.) Original members: Ricky Wasson (guitar), Dwight McCall (mandolin), Matt DeSpain (Dobro™), Justin Jen

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Smokey River Boys

SMOKEY RIVER BOYS From Nashville. A “trademarked” recording group that has been the property of MCA (Decca) records since 1950. The original group included Lefty Jenkins, Luke Rogers, Sonny Wyatt and Bill Jackson, all of whom are now deceased.

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Laughlin, Tim

TIM LAUGHLIN From Bristol, Tennessee. Began playing guitar at age 8; switched to mandolin at age 11. Has worked with Larry Sparks, Hazel Dickens, Appalachian Trail, The McPeak Brothers and the Lynn Morris Band, to name a few. 1985, form

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Lilly Brothers, The

THE LILLY BROTHERS From Boston, Massachusetts. Originally from Clear Creek, West Virginia. Two brothers: Everett and Michel (an odd spelling of “Michael” that was often mis-pronounced “Mitchell” so he went by “B” the first initial of his middle

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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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Henry, Casey

CASEY HENRY From Frederick County, Virginia. Lives in Nashville. Grew...

Sand Mountain Boys, The

THE SAND MOUNTAIN BOYS Originally from Alabama; relocated to Milton,...

Williams, Junior

JUNIOR WILLIAMS From Irvine, Kentucky Plays banjo and guitar. 2001-2013,...

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!