Brown, Tommy
TOMMY BROWN (AND THE COUNTY LINE GRASS) From Shepherdsville, Kentucky. Brown plays banjo and sings lead vocals with his band the County Line Grass (formed in 1991). Began playing banjo at age 6. Won both the Kentucky and Tennessee State Ba
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Moses, Justin
JUSTIN MOSES From Madisonville, Tennessee. Lives in Nashville. Plays all the bluegrass instruments. After high school, played with a band called Kentucky Wind. 2000, formed Blue Moon Rising with Kentucky Wind bandmates Tim Tipton and Ke
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Otsuka, Akira
AKIRA OTSUKA From Japan; lives in the Washington DC area. Best known as the impressive mandolin player with The Bluegrass 45, a legendary bluegrass band from Japan. Has become a fixture in the Washington DC bluegrass scene, plays all the blue
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Christianson, Brian
BRIAN CHRISTIANSON From Nashville. A fiddle player and luthier. 2000, received his degree in String Instrument Repair, Violin Specialty from the Minnesota State Technical College in Red Wing, MN. He also received his certificate in Violin Bui
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Bradley, Dale Ann
DALE ANN BRADLEY From Pineville, Kentucky. Her father was a coal miner and a Baptist minister. Began performing at age 14 with a group called Back Porch Grass. 1988, worked at Renfro Valley. 1990, joined the New Coon Creek Girls as lead
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Andes, Mike
MIKE ANDES From Timberville, Virginia. Lives in Pataskala, Ohio. Began playing mandolin and singing at age 14. 1983, joined the East Coast Bluegrass Band. 1994, founded the group Nothin’ Fancy, singing lead and harmony vocals, playing mand
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Fairview Avenue
FAIRVIEW AVENUE From Albany, New York. Formed in 2006 by Scott and Elizabeth Hopkins (banjo/bass). Other members: Tony Califano (mandolin) and Morrie Safford (guitar), Brig McCutcheon (guitar)and Joe Gumpper (fiddle). The band is named aft
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Sitze Family, The
THE SITZE FAMILY From Fredericktown, Missouri. Formed in 1990. Denny (guitar) and Candy Sitze and their three sons: Dennijo (mandolin), Chad (banjo) and Andy (bass). 1994, won the “National Old Time Band Championship” (National Traditional
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Val, Joe
JOE VAL From New England. Was born in Everett, Massachusetts. Real name: Joseph Valiante. His last name was shortened to Val by fiddler Tex Logan. An influential mandolin player and tenor singer in the New England area. 1950’s, perform
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Mary and Mars
MARY AND MARS From Santa Fe, New Mexico. An acoustic trio formed in 2002 to explore the outer limits of bluegrass. They played everything from bluegrass classics to Motown and reggae. Members: Sharon Gilchrist (mandolin), Ben Wright (guitar)
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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
Kunimoto, Takeharu
TAKEHARU KUNIMOTO (AND THE LAST FRONTIER) From Tokyo, Japan. Plays...
Read MoreHindsight Bluegrass
HINDSIGHT BLUEGRASS From central North Carolina. Band members: Scott Hancock...
Read MoreRice, Tony
TONY RICE From Danville, Virginia. Grew up in southern California,...
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!
Platt, Woody
WOODY PLATT From Western North Carolina. 1998-2022, played guitar and...
Read MoreGreenwood Rye
GREENWOOD RYE From Nashville, Tennessee. A “modern jam-grass” band formed...
Read MoreGrass Food and Lodging
GRASS FOOD AND LODGING From Milwaukee, Wisconsin Formed in 1977...
Read MoreRed Camel Collective
RED CAMEL COLLECTIVE From Walnut Cove, North Carolina. Formed in...
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