Harrell, Mitch
MITCH HARRELL Lives in Annapolis, Maryland. Son of bluegrass pioneer Bill Harrell. For many years, he played guitar and sang tenor in his father’s band, the Virginians. Was first artist signed by Pinecastle Records. According to Pinecastle
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Gillis Brothers, The
THE GILLIS BROTHERS (AND HARD DRIVING BLUEGRASS) From Soperton, Georgia. Call their music “Mountain Style Bluegrass from the Georgia Swamplands.” Brothers: Larry (banjo) and John (guitar). Larry is four years older than John. Their band
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Smith, Billy and Terry
BILLY AND TERRY SMITH (THE SMITH BROTHERS) From Nashville, Tennessee (originally from Reidsville, North Carolina). Billy plays guitar, Terry plays bass. Terry played bass for several years with the Osborne Brothers. After coming to Nashvill
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Peters, Carson (and Iron Mountain)
CARSON PETERS (AND IRON MOUNTAIN) From Piney Flats, Tennessee. Began playing fiddle at age 3. 2011, at age 8 made an appearance on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. 2014, appeared for the first time 2016on the Grand Ole Opry with Ricky Sk
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Grisman, David
DAVID GRISMAN From Mill Valley, California. Originally from Hackensack, New York Called “The Paganini of the Mandolin” by the New York Times. Bill Monroe once acknowledged David as his “heir apparent” to the mandolin. Began pro career w
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Hart Brothers, The
THE HART BROTHERS From Guysville, Ohio. A family band formed in 1979 by Myron “Pete” Hart (mandolin), Heamon “Tib” Hart (banjo) and Arman “Sam” Hart (guitar). Prior to that, they performed as Lester Young and the Hart Brothers (Young played fid
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Meadow Mountain
MEADOW MOUNTAIN From Denver, Colorado.Formed in 2015 by Summers Baker (guitar), Jack Dunlevie (mandolin), Ian Parker (fiddle), George Guthrie (banjo) and Wilson Luallen (bass).2017, won the Rockygrass Band Contest.They have given a TED Talk on th
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Livewire
LIVEWIRE From Kentucky, North Carolina, Nashville. A band formed in 1989 by Scott Vestal (banjo) following his stint with Doyle Lawson and Quicksilver. Bandmates included Wayne Benson (mandolin), Robert Hale (guitar) and Ernie Sykes (bass). T
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Kickin’ Grass
KICKIN’ GRASS From Raleigh, North Carolina. Members: Lynda Dawson (guitar), Jamie Dawson (mandolin), Ben Walters (banjo), Patrick Walsh (bass), Matt Hooper (fiddle). Formed in 2000, as backup group for the Chapel Hill Cloggers. 2003, won a
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Smith, Billy and Terry
BILLY AND TERRY SMITH (THE SMITH BROTHERS) From Nashville, Tennessee (originally from Reidsville, North Carolina). Billy plays guitar, Terry plays bass. Terry played bass for several years with the Osborne Brothers. After coming to Nashvill
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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
Greene, Richard
RICHARD GREENE From Los Angeles. An influential fiddler who worked...
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Shelton, Tim
TIM SHELTON From Carlisle, Ohio. Began his career in gospel...
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Byrd, Senator Robert
SENATOR ROBERT BYRD From Sophia, West Virginia. He was born...
Read MoreAccess 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!
