WALDEN DAHL

• From Norco, California (LA area).
• Plays mandolin, guitar, fiddle.
• Songwriter: his songs have been recorded by Ralph Stanley and Alison Krauss (“So Long, So Wrong”).
• Former bands: Lost Highway (1975), The High Window Boys (1977, with Craig Smith and Alison Brown).
• Has two bands: the Coyote Brothers, Grey Eagle.
• Appeared in the movie “High Lonesome Sound.”

JAMIE DAILEY

• From Gainesboro, Tennessee. He was born in Corbin, Kentucky.
• Began singing with his family at age 3.
• Age 9, began playing bass with family band “The Four J’s.” Age 12, played banjo with them.
• Age 15, joined Cumberland Connection.
• Age 18, Clear Creek.
• 1996, age 21, formed Highland Rim.
• 1998, joined Doyle Lawson and Quicksilver
• 2002, formed a web site development company called Ciphertek Entertainment, specializing in bluegrass artist web sites
• 2007, left Doyle Lawson to form a new band “Dailey & Vincent” with Darrin Vincent.

DAILEY & VINCENT

• From Nashville.
• Formed in 2007 by Jamie Dailey (a former member of Doyle Lawson and Quicksilver) and Darrin Vincent (a former member of Ricky Skaggs and Kentucky Thunder).
• Darrin Vincent is the younger brother of Rhonda Vincent. As youngsters, they performed together in their family band The Sally Mountain Show.
• 2008, released first project Dailey & Vincent (Rounder Records) and made their first appearance on the Grand Ole Opry.
• 2008, won an unprecedented six IBMA awards in their first year of eligibility: Entertainer of the Year, Emerging Artist of the Year, Album of the Year, Vocal Group of the Year, Male Vocalist of the Year (Jamie) and Gospel Recording of the Year (for “By the Mark”).
• 2009, released Brothers From Different Mothers album (Rounder).
• 2009, released Singing From the Heart album (Rounder), an acapella gospel project.
• 2009, won IBMA awards for Entertainer of the Year, Vocal Group of the Year and Gospel Recorded Performance of the Year (for “On the Other Side”).
• 2010, released Dailey & Vincent Sing the Statler Brothers album (Cracker Barrel/Rounder).
• 2010, won IBMA awards for Entertainer of the Year, Vocal Group of the Year and Album of the Year.
• 2011, released The Gospel Side of Dailey & Vincent album (Cracker Barrel/Rounder).
• 2011, added band members B.J. Cherryholmes (fiddle,) Jessie Baker (banjo) and Jeff Parker (vocals and mandolin) and Christian Davis (bass vocals).
• CMT dubbed them “The Rockstars of Bluegrass.”
• 2013, released Brothers of the Highway album (Rounder).
• 2014, added Seth Taylor to the band, playing lead and rhythm guitar.
• 2014, won their fourth GMA Dove Award for Bluegrass Song of the Year (“Won’t It Be Wonderful There”).
• 2014, won the IBMA Award for Gospel Recording of the Year (“Won’t It Be Wonderful There”).
• 2015, released Alive! In Concert album (Cracker Barrel)
• 2015, began hosting “The Dailey & Vincent Show” on RFD-TV.
• 2016, made their 100th appearance on the Grand Ole Opry on December 30th (also the 10th anniversary of their forming their act) on December 30th. It was also announced that evening that they would be inducted as members of the Opry.
• 2017, were officially inducted as members of the Opry on March 11.
• 2017, released Patriots & Poets album (BFD).
• 2018, added new band member Gavin Largent (banjo/Dobro™), replacing Jessie Baker.
• 2021, added new band member Ben James (guitar/vocals), formerly with Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver.

DANA AND LAUREN (SEE THE SCHANKMAN TWINS)

CHARLIE DANIELS

• From Wilmington, North Carolina.
• As a teenager, played mandolin and fiddle with a North Carolina bluegrass band called the Misty Mountain Boys.
• 1972, began solo career as a country artist.
• 1979, had #1 song with “The Devil Went Down to Georgia.” His album “Fire on the Mountain” (which features that song) was certified platinum in 1992.
• 1979, 1980 won CMA Award for Instrumental Group of the Year. Also won several other CMA and ACM awards.
• 2005, released a bluegrass gospel album Songs From the Longleaf Pine (Blue Hat Records).
• 2009, released a bluegrass Christmas album Joy To The World – A Bluegrass Christmas (E1 Entertainment).
• 2020, died at the age of 83.

THE DAPPLED GRAYS

• From Atlanta, Georgia.
• Formed in 2001 by Michael Smith (mandolin) and Casey Cook (guitar).
• Won “Best Bluegrass Band” in Atlanta’s “Creative Loafing” magazine.
• Had several of their songs played on MTV.
• Smith has performed and toured with the country band Sugarland.
• Cook had a Florida band with his brother called “Special Cookin'” and was inducted into the North Florida Bluegrass Hall of Fame as the youngest professional bluegrass band in Florida. He has also been featured in “Flatpick Guitar” magazine.
• A “Dappled Gray” is a type of horse (with gray spots).
• Other members of the band: Leah Calvert (fiddle), Keith Morris (bass), Greg Earnest (banjo.)
• 2007, released Doin My Job album (no label).
• 2012, they were featured in the Clint Eastwood movie “Trouble with the Curve.” They appeared in a scene with cloggers at a night club in Athens, Georgia. They performed two songs: “The Long Waltz Home” written by guitarist Casey Cook and the traditional tune “Cotton-Eyed Joe.”
• 2015, released “Last Night Tomorrow” album (no label).

MICHAEL DAVES

• From Atlanta, Georgia. Lives in Brooklyn, New York.
• Pronounced DAVE’S (not Davis or Davies).
• Grew up in a musical family with bluegrass and country roots. Also studied music at Hampshire College (Western Massachusetts) and played there with a number of jazz, rock and Americana groups. His primary instrument is guitar.
• 2002, formed an old-time string band called Underbelly, opening for Bob Dylan in ’03.
• 2003, moved to Brooklyn, New York and began playing with several bluegrass bands including his own group The Bluegrass Mob.
• He is a music teacher (private lessons) and also has a recording studio. He performs weekly at New York’s Rockwood Music Hall as a solo artist and also hosts a monthly bluegrass jam there.
• 2007, released a solo project, Live at the Rockwood (no label).
• 2011, recorded an album of duets with Chris Thile called Sleep With One Eye Open (Nonesuch Records).
• 2013, formed a duo with fiddler Brittany Haas.
• Has performed with Steve Martin, Tony Trischka, Rosanne Cash, Bruce Molsky, Sara Jarosz, many others.
• 2016, released Orchids and Violence album (Nonesuch), a two-CD set featuring the same songs on each CD, but performed in two different styles: bluegrass and alternative-rock.

BRAD DAVIS

• From Fort Worth, Texas.
• Began playing classical guitar at age 5.
• 1978, he and his brother formed a bluegrass band called Ten Degrees.
• 1986, moved to Nashville and worked as a fiddle/guitar player at Opryland USA. Later that year, was offered a job working with The Forester Sisters.
• 1992, joined Marty Stuart’s band.
• 1994, toured with Sweethearts of the Rodeo. Also formed (with his brother Greg) a band called WhiteWater.
• 1995, re-joined Marty Stuart’s band “The Rock and Roll Cowboys.”
• Has also recorded with Willie Nelson, Pam Tillis, Dwight Yokem, Steve Earl, Travis Tritt, Emmy Lou Harris, Sheryl Crow, Warren Zevon, Joe Diffee, Mark Chestnut, Billy Bob Thornton, and many others.
• 2001, joined the Earl Scruggs Family and Friends tour.
• 2002, toured with Billy Bob Thornton.
• 2003, released I’m Not Gonna Let My Blues Get Me Down album (FGM).
• 2003, released This World Ain’t No Child album (FGM Records) and joined the Sam Bush Band.
• 2007, joined the Boxmasters, a rockabilly band led by Billy Bob Thornton.
• 2013, released A Bluegrass Tribute to George Jones album (Bluegrass Valley Records.) He has also done several Bluegrass Tribute albums for CMH Records (The Black Keys, Mumford and Sons, etc.)

THE DAUGHTERS OF BLUEGRASS

• The brainchild of Lorraine Jordan and Gena Britt, who decided in 2001 to record an album featuring many of the top women musicians in bluegrass music.
• The “Daughters” include more than 40 female artists including Jordan and Britt, Dale Ann Bradley, Valerie Smith, Claire Lynch, Sonya and Becky Isaacs, Rhonda Vincent, Alecia Nugent, Jeannette Williams and many others.
• 2001, recorded first album called Daughters of American Bluegrass (CMH Records).
• 2006, recorded a second album titled Back To The Well (Blue Circle Records) which won the IBMA Award for Recorded Event of the Year.
• 2008, recorded third album Bluegrass Bouquet (Blue Circle).
• 2013, recorded fourth album, Pickin Like a Girl (Blue Circle).

GAIL DAVIES

• From Nashville, Tennessee. (Born in Broken Bow, Oklahoma.).
• Began performing at age 9 in a family band.
• Late sixties, moved to Los Angeles and performed in several rock, pop and jazz groups, finally returning to country music which she loved best.
• Early days: worked with Hoyt Axton and Roger Miller.
• Has recorded hits for Warner Brothers, RCA and Capitol Records.
• 1980, had first #1 single with Paul Craft’s “Blue Heartache.”
• 1986, had a group called Wild Choir (recorded for RCA).
• 2001, recorded a live bluegrass album at the Station Inn in Nashville: Live & Unplugged at the Station Inn (Valley Records).

DAVID DAVIS AND THE WARRIOR RIVER BOYS

• A traditional bluegrass band from Cullman, Alabama.
• Davis’s father and grandfather were both musicians, and his uncle Cleo Davis was in Bill Monroe’s first Blue Grass Boys (1939).
• The Warrior River Boys were originally formed in the mid-1950’s by Garry Thurmond. Due to his declining health, he turned the band over to 23-year-old Davis in 1984.
• Davis plays mandolin and sings lead.
• Band has included legendary musicians such as fiddler Charlie Cline and former bluegrass boy Tom Ewing.
• 1990, released New Beginnings album (Rounder).
• 1993, released Sounds Like Home album (Rounder).
• 2004, released David Davis & The Warrior River Boys album (Rebel Records).
• 2006, released Troubled Times album (Rebel).
• 2009, released Two Dimes & A Nickel album (Rebel).
• 2014, Davis was inducted into the National Old Time Country Music Hall of Fame.
• 2024, died at the age of 63 from injuries sustained in an automobile accident.

JASON DAVIS

• From Ford, Virginia. Lives in Galax, Virginia.
• Began playing banjo professionally while still in high school.
• First bands: Michelle Nixon and Drive, Blue Ridge, Kenny and Amanda Smith.
• 2006, joined Grasstowne.
• 2007, released solo project “Steppin’ Out” (Pinecastle)
• 2010, joined Junior Sisk and Ramblers Choice.
• 2013, released Second Time Around album (Mountain Fever).
• 2014, took a faculty position at East Tennessee State University, teaching banjo.
• 2018, formed new band called the Highland Travelers with Adam Steffey, Keith Garrett, Gary Hultman and Kameron Keller.
• 2020, joined the Dan Tyminski Band.

HUBERT DAVIS (AND THE SEASON TRAVELERS)

• From Shelby, North Carolina (same hometown as Earl Scruggs; they grew up together.)
• Former banjo player for Bill Monroe’s Blue Grass Boys.
• Originally learned to play banjo left-handed; then switched to become one of the best right-handed pickers of his generation.
• Until his death in 1992, he performed with his band The Season Travelers at his own bluegrass night club in Nashville called “The Bluegrass Inn”.

STEVE DAY

• From Caneyville, Kentucky. Lives in Bowling Green, KY.
• Began playing fiddle professionally at age 13.
• Won the Kentucky State Fiddling Championship.
• 1987, joined Gary Brewer and the Kentucky Ramblers.
• 1998, joined David Parmley and Continental Divide.
• 2000, released “Fiddle Man” album.
• 2004, released “It’s All About Fiddling” album.

THE DEADLY GENTLEMEN

• From Boston, Massachusetts.
• Became a full-time band in 2011.
• Members: Greg Liszt (banjo), Mike Barnett (fiddle), Sam Grisman (bass), Dominick Leslie (mandolin), Stash (Stanislaw) Wyslouch (guitar).
• Banjo player Liszt attended Yale and earned a Ph.D from M.I.T. in Molecular Biology. He was a member of Bruce Springsteen’s live band for his “Seeger Sessions” tour. He is also a member of Crooked Still.
• Barnett played fiddle with Jesse McReynolds at age 15. Later worked with the David Grisman Quintet and the Tony Trischka Band.
• Grisman is the son of mandolin legend David Grisman.
• Wyslouch came from a heavy metal music background.
• They also produce an online bluegrass humor magazine called The Bluegrass Intelligencer.
• 2013, released first album Roll Me, Tumble Me for Rounder Records. Their previous albums (no label) were titled “The Bastard Masterpiece” and “Carry Me to Home.”
• 2013, bass player Sam Grisman was replaced by Adam Chaffins. Grisman moved to Nashville to pursue other musical interests.
• 2014, Sean Trischka (son of Tony) joined the band playing drums. Eli Bishop joined the group on fiddle.
• 2015, broke up with band members departing amicably for other endeavors. Banjo player Liszt performs with Crooked Still and teaches at the Berklee College of Music. Wyslouch released a solo project and performs with other bands in the New England area.

HONI DEATON (AND DREAM)

• From Suwannee, Georgia. Originally from Irving, Texas.
• While in high school, she had a group called Soul and Country. Also DJ’d at a local country music station.
• 1992-2001, played bass and sang lead with Idaho-based band The Grasshoppers.
• 2001, married Jeff Deaton, son of Ray Deaton (Third Tyme Out). Jeff formerly worked with Lou Reid and Carolina, Junior Sisk and Rambler’s Choice.
• 2002, formed Honi Deaton and Dream with husband Jeff (guitar), Kristin Scott Benson (banjo), Dewey Brown (fiddle), and Chris Davis (mandolin).
• 2008, released The Other Side album (C&L Entertainment).
• 2009, released Gospel Collection album (C&L Entertainment).
• 2009, released Chasing Dreams album (Lamon Records).

DEHLIA LOW

• From Asheville, North Carolina
• Formed in 2007 by Anya Hinkle (fiddle), Stacy Claude (guitar), Aaron Ballance (Dobro), Bryan Clendenin (mandolin) and Greg Stiglets (bass).
• They play a blend of bluegrass with old-time folk music.
• 2008, released first album Dehlia Low (no label).
• 2009, released Tellico album (no label).
• 2010, released Live album (no label).
• 2011, released Ravens & Crows album (Rebel), produced by Travis Book of the Infamous Stringdusters.

MARK DELANEY

• From the Washington DC area.
• 1980, began playing banjo at age 11; learned from his Kentucky-born grandfather.
• Performed for many years with Arnold Hobbs and Partners in Centreville, VA.
• Day job: he’s a BMW motorcycle mechanic.
• Has also worked & recorded with Jim Eanes, Frank Wakefield, Buzz Busby, Charlie Waller, Norman Wright, Darren Beachley and Mike Auldridge.
• 2006, joined Randy Waller and the Country Gentlemen.
• 2008, joined Wayne Taylor and Appaloosa.
• 2009, released first solo project SideCar (Patuxent Records). “Sidecar” is his nickname.
• 2011, joined Danny Paisley and the Southern Grass.

DELLA MAE

• • From Boston, Massachusetts.
  • An all-female band featuring Celia Woodsmith (guitar, lead vocals), Kimber Ludiker (fiddle), Jenni Lyn Gardner (mandolin), Amanda Kowalski (bass), Courtney Hartman (guitar).
  • Kimber Ludiker won the 2009 National Fiddle Championship.
  • 2011, released first album I Built This Heart (no label) with guests including Alison Brown, Laurie Lewis and Bethany Haas.
  • 2012, bassist Kowalski left the group and was replaced by Shelby Means, from Wyoming.
  • 2013, released This World Oft Can Be album (Rounder Records), produced by Bryan Sutton.
  • 2013, won the IBMA award for Emerging Artist of the Year.
  • 2013, 2014, participated in the U.S. State Department’s American Music Abroad program. They toured Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, where they collaborated with local musicians, taught educational programs for children, and played concerts for local audiences.
  • 2014, bassist Shelby Means left the group. She was replaced by Zoe Guigueno (formerly with Joy Kills Sorrow).
  • 2015, mandolinist Jenni Lyn Gardner formed Jenni Lyn Gardner and the Palmetto Bluegrass Band as a side project when she is not working with Della Mae.
  • 2015, released self-titled album Della Mae (Rounder)
  • 2019, released The Butcher Shoppe EP (Rounder).
  • 2019, performed with Steve Martin and Martin Short on their comedy tour.
  • 2021, released Family Reunion album (no label). Lineup: Woodsmith (guitar), Ludiker (fiddle), Avril Smith (guitar), Maddie Witler (mandolin), Vickie Vaughn (bass).

IRIS DEMENT

• Born in Paragould, Arkansas. Grew up in Southern California. Lives in Kansas City, Missouri.
• Youngest of 14 children.
• Her family was deeply religious. Her older sisters had a gospel group called “The DeMent Sisters.”
• Her father was a fiddler.
• Didn’t begin playing guitar, writing songs and performing until age 25 (while in Kansas).
• 2001, acted and sang in the movie “Songcatcher.”
• 2001, appeared on Ralph Stanley’s “Clinch Mountain Sweethearts” album.
• 2002, appeared on the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band’s “Will the Circle Be Unbroken, Vol. III” album.

DETOUR

• From Michigan.
• Features the lead singing of Missy Armstrong (guitar) with Peter Knupfer (fiddle), Scott Zylstra (guitar), Jeff Rose (mandolin), Jeremy Darrow (bass) and Lloyd Douglas (banjo).
• 2009, released “The Road That Lies Ahead” (BlueGrass Ahead).
• 2012, released A Better Place album (BlueGrass Ahead).
• 2014, released Going Nowhere Fast album (Mountain Fever Records).
• 2015, Jack Bunce replaced Jeremy Darrow, playing bass. Darrow joined Front Country.

BETHANY DICK (BETHANY DICK-OLDS)

• From Belgrade, Montana. Lives in Nashville.
• A singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist specializing in bluegrass, country and contemporary Christian music.
• Began playing fiddle at age 14.
• 1997, won the Junior National Fiddling Championship.
• 1997, 1998, won the Montana Open Fiddle Championships (1997).
• 2000, released first album “The Beat of My Heart.”
• 2001, won the MerleFest gospel songwriting competition for her song “Come The Morning.”
• 2002, moved to Nashville and worked with Sara Evans and Pam Tillis (playing fiddle, mandolin and guitar).
• 2002, released “This Beautiful Life” album (no label) co-produced with Bryan Sutton.
• 2006, moved to Atlanta.
• 2007, toured with Mac Powell of the Christian rock band Third Day.

BOB DICK

• From Waterbury, Connecticut. Lives in Massachusetts.
• At age 15, played bass with the Greater Boston Youth Symphony.
• 1987, attended Berklee College of Music to study jazz.
• Former bands: Billings Gap, Rabbit in a Log, Slo-Grass.
• 1992, joined Front Range as bass player.
• 1993, joined a central Massachusetts band called SloGrass. He continues to play bass with this band.
• 2000, formed The Blackstone Valley Bluegrass Band (with his brother Dave, formerly with Southern Rail and Salamander Crossing). Bob plays guitar in this band.
• 2000, released solo project of Christmas songs, singing and playing all the instruments on the album.

HAZEL DICKENS

• From Mercer County, West Virginia. For many years lived in Georgetown, Washington D.C.
• Daughter of a Primitive Baptist preacher who hauled timber for the coal mines.
• Best known for singing and writing songs about coal mines, working-class people and women’s rights.
• Recorded both as a soloist and also as a duo with Alice Gerrard.
• Her songs have been recorded by Emmylou Harris (“Hello Stranger,” “The Sweetest Gift, A Mother’s Smile”), New Riders of the Purple Sage (“Don’t Put Her Down, You Helped Put Her There”) and other artists.
• Several of her songs were used in the soundtrack to the Academy Award-winning documentary film, “Harlan County, USA.”
• Has performed at some of the nation’s most impressive venues: the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in New York City, Carnegie Hall, the Grand Ole Opry and the White House.
• A social activist who continues to organize and perform at benefits for coal miners, labor unions, welfare rights groups and women’s organizations.
• 1998, received an honorary Doctor of Humanities degree from Shepherd College, Shepherdstown, WV.
• 2007, was inducted into the West Virginia Music Hall of Fame.
• Died April 22, 2011.
• 2017, she (along with Alice Gerrard) was inducted into the Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame.

RECOMMENDED:

• Hard Hitting Songs For Hard Hit People (Rounder, 2009)
• A Few Old Memories (Rounder, 1990)
• It’s Hard to Tell the Singer From the Song (Rounder, 1987)

JOE DIFFIE

• From Tulsa, Oklahoma
• Began his career in the late seventies with an Oklahoma bluegrass band called The Special Edition, which also included Billy Joe Foster.
• 1990, signed with Epic Records and for a decade had more than 35 songs on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart, including five Number One singles: “Home”, “If the Devil Danced (In Empty Pockets)”, “Third Rock from the Sun”, “Pickup Man” and “Bigger Than the Beatles”.
• 1993, co-hosted the IBMA Awards Show.
• 1998, appeared on the IBMA Awards Show with the Lonesome River Band.
• 2010, released Homecoming: The Bluegrass Album (Rounder Records).
• 2020, died at the age of 61 due to complications from coronavirus (COVID-19).

THE DILLARD AND CLARK EXPEDITION

• A short-lived group (1968-1970) featuring Doug Dillard, formerly of the Dillards, and guitarist Gene Clark, formerly of the Byrds.
• One of the first bands to mix bluegrass and country-rock.
• Recorded two albums for A&M Records: Fantastic Expedition of Dillard & Clark and Through the Morning Through the Night.
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DOUG DILLARD (DOUG DILLARD BAND)

• From Salem, Missouri. Lived in Los Angeles and Nashville during most of his career.
• Full name: Douglas Flint Dillard. He was an original member of the Dillards (1962-1968) and was inducted into the Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame as a member of that group (2009).
• Before becoming a professional musician, he was an accountant.
• Played the part of “Jebbin Darling” on the Andy Griffith TV show.
• 1968-1970, worked with former Byrd Gene Clark in the Dillard and Clark Expedition.
• 1971, released solo album The Banjo Album (Together).
• 1972-1973, was a regular on the NBC-TV series “Music Country U.S.A.”
• 1973, released Duelin’ Banjo album (20th Century).
• 1974, released “You Don’t Need a Reason to Sing” album (20th Century).
• As a sideman, he appeared on albums by Arlo Guthrie, the Monkees, the Beach Boys and Glen Campbell.
• 1979, formed the Doug Dillard band with various members including Byron Berline, Ginger Boatwright, Kathy Chiavola and David Grier.
• 1980, released JackRabbit album (Flying Fish).
• 1980, appeared in the movie “Popeye” starring Robin Williams. While filming that picture, he fell from a cliff and suffered serious injuries which came very close to ending his life, not to mention his career as a musician.
• 1986, released “What’s That?” album (Flying Fish).
• 1989, released Heartbreak Hotel album (Flying Fish).
• 1992, made a cameo appearance in Tanya Tucker’s video “Some Kind of Trouble” in 1992.
• 1994-2000, did a number of “Original Dillards” reunion shows.
• 2004, began performing with brother Rodney as the Dillards (with various sidemen to fill out the band).
• 2009, was inducted into the Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame (with The Dillards).
• 2012, died at the age of 75.

THE DILLARDS

• From Salem, Missouri although for most of their career together as a band they lived in Los Angeles, California.
• Rodney Dillard (guitar) and Doug Dillard (banjo) began performing together as The Dillard Brothers in 1958. Their original band included John Hartford on fiddle.
• 1962, formed The Dillards with Mitch Jayne (bass) and Dean Webb (mandolin). This configuration of the band was together for six years and is considered the “original” Dillards.
• 1962, decided to try their luck in California. After arriving in Los Angeles (November, 1962) they performed at the famous folk club The Ash Grove. This led to their record deal with Elektra Records and an appearance of several episodes of the Andy Griffith Show playing a family of slow-witted hillbillies called The Darlin’ Family.
• 1963, recorded the first of three classic albums: “Backporch Bluegrass,” “Live … Almost,” and “Pickin’ and Fiddlin” with Byron Berline on fiddle (Elektra).
• 1963, recorded an album under the name The Folkswingers titled “12 String Guitar!” (World Pacific) with Glen Campbell playing 12-string guitar.
• 1964, appeared on the Judy Garland TV Show
• They are considered one of the most influential bluegrass bands of the 1960’s, especially on the west coast. Among those who have credited the Dillards with many of their musical ideas: the late Gram Parsons, Chris Hillman (The Byrds and the Desert Rose Band), Byron Berline, Bernie Leadon (The Eagles), John McEuen (The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band), John Hartford, Steve Martin, Sam Bush, many others.
• They were the first (and perhaps only) bluegrass band to incorporate stand-up comedy into its act, featuring storyteller Mitch Jayne, along with the unpredictable antics of Rodney Dillard, who was the butt of most of Mitch’s jokes.
• 1966-67, toured with the Byrds which led to Doug Dillard’s departure to form a new band with The Byrds’ Gene Clark called The Dillard and Clark Expedition.
• 1968, Doug Dillard was replaced by Herb Pederson and it was during this period that the Dillards recorded two landmark albums, “Wheatstraw Suite” and “Copperfields.” The group also added drummer Paul York.
• 1972, toured with Elton John.
• After Herb Pederson left the Dillards in 1972 (he was replaced by Billy Ray Latham), the group went through several personnel changes, including the retirement of Mitch Jayne (he was replaced by Jeff Gilkinson). The group eventually folded and during most of the 80’s, Rodney and Dean worked together at Silver Dollar City, a theme park in Branson, Missouri.
• Following a reunion tour in 1989, they attempted a comeback with Steve Cooley on banjo, recording two new albums for Vanguard Records.
• 1999, drummer Paul York died at the age of 58.
• 2002, the original band made an appearance at Carnegie Hall with Arlo Guthrie and Pete Seeger.
• 2006, John McEuen produced a documentary video about the original Dillards called “A Night in the Ozarks.”
• 2007, Mitch Jayne published his first novel “Fiddler’s Ghost.”
• 2009, The Dillards were inducted into the Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame. All four of the original band were present to receive the honor at the IBMA Awards Show in Nashville.
• 2009, Dean formed a new band called Missouri Boat Ride (named after a line in the movie “The Outlaw Josie Wales.”)
• 2010, Rodney began touring and recording as Rodney Dillard and the Dillard Band. Released I Wish Life Was Like Mayberry album (Rural Rhythm).
• 2010, Mitch Jayne died at the age of 80.
• 2012, Doug Dillard died at the age of 75.
• 2018, Dean Webb died at the age of 81.
• 2019, Rodney and wife Beverly Cotton began performing and recording as The Dillards with supporting musicians George Giddens (fiddle/mandolin), Cory Walker/Tony Wray (banjo) and Gary Smith (bass).
• 2020, released Old Road New Again album (Pinecastle)  with guests Don Henley, Herb Pedersen, Bernie Leadon, Sam Bush, Ricky Skaggs, and Sharon and Cheryl White.

RECOMMENDED:

• There is a Time 1963-70 (Vanguard)

DEREK DILLMAN

• From Peru, Indiana.
• Began playing the banjo at age 4.
• 1998, released first album at age 15.
• 2000, joined Jimmy Martin’s Sunny Mountain Boys. He was the last banjo player to work with Jimmy Martin.
• 2005, joined an Indiana band called Branded Bluegrass.

THE DIRTY RIVER RAMBLERS

• From Omaha, Nebraska.
• They are a genre-bending band, playing “from oldtime to jam-rock.”
• Members: Josh Krohn (fiddle/banjo), Kustin Kephart (mandolin), Mace Hathaway (guitar) and Chris Hunke (bass).
• 2013, released Ramble On album (no label).

THE DISMEMBERED TENNESSEANS

• From Chattanooga, Tennessee.
• A group that formed in 1945 by fiddler Fletcher Bright and other students from the McCallie Private Boys School in Chattanooga. They have appeared on ABC-TV’s Peter Jennings Nightly News and were featured on the NBC Sunday Today Show.
• 2012, still performing together after 65 years.

THE DIXIE BEE-LINERS

• From Southwest Virginia
• Features singer/songwriter Brandi Hart, a Kentucky native who began singing in church at age 2.
• Also features guitarist Buddy Woodward, formerly an alt-country performer who worked with “The Ghost Rockets” and “Buddy Woodward and the Nitro Express.” Also has worked with Steve Earle, Jim Lauderdale, Rosie Flores, John Starling, others.
• Other band members: Rachel Renee Johnson (fiddle), Jeremy Darrow (mandollin) and Sam Morrow (banjo).
• Their music has been featured on cable TV’s Food Network and on the soundtrack to the Civil War film “Freedom.”
• 2006, released Dixie Bee-Liners album (no label).
• 2008, released Ripe (Pinecastle Records), produced by Bil VornDick.
• 2008, received Roots Music Association Award for “Bluegrass Artist of the Year.”
• 2009, released Susanville album (Pinecastle).
• 2014, disbanded.
• 2015, released “Through My Screen Door: The Final Sessions of the Dixie Bee Liners” album.

THE DIXIE CHICKS

• From Dallas, Texas.
• 1989, original group debuted on a street corner in Dallas. At the time the group included Laura Lynch (bass), Robin Lynn Macy (guitar), Martie Maguire (fiddle) and Emily Robison (banjo/Dobro™) Martie and Emily are sisters.
• They took their name from the song “Dixie Chicken” by Lowell George of the band Little Feat.
• 1990, won first place in the bluegrass band competition at Telluride.
• 1998, with Natalie Maines as their lead singer, they burst onto the country music scene with several hit records, winning two CMA awards, three ACM awards and two Grammies that year.
• They were called “The Spice Girls of Country.”
• 1998, won CMA Horizon Award
• 1998, 1999, 2000 won CMA award for Vocal Group of the Year.
• 1998, 1999, won Grammy Award for Best Country Album.
• 1998, 1999, won Grammy Award for Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group.
• 1998, 1999, won ACM awards for Top Vocal Duet or Group, Country Album of the Year.
• 1999, 2000, won CMA award for Best Music Video.
• 2000, won CMA award for Album of the Year.
• 2000, won CMA award for Entertainer of the Year.
• 2002, released Home album, a return to their bluegrass roots. It debuted on the Billboard charts at #1.
• 2003, stirred up controversy and outrage among country music fans when Natalie Maines criticized President George Bush’s decision to invade Iraq at a concert in London.
• 2007, won five more Grammy awards (for a total of 13) for album “Taking the Long Way” (including Album of the Year.)
• 2008, fiddler Martie Maguire returned to the studio to record a fiddle-based solo album.

THE DIXIE GENTLEMEN

• From Alabama.
• Formed in 1956 as the Country Gentlemen but changed their name when they learned that another band had that name.
• Featured Jake Landers (guitar), Rual Yarbrough (banjo) and Herschel Sizemore (mandolin). Vassar Clements also played fiddle with this group for a short time.
• The were one of the few bluegrass bands of the period to record for a major record label. In 1963, they released their signature recording The Country Style of the Dixie Gentlemen (United Artists).
• 1963, they also recorded two albums for Time Records under the name The Blue Ridge Mountain Boys: “Hootenanny N Bluegrass” and “Blue Grass Back Home.”
• Jake Landers wrote several songs that became classics, such as “Walk Softly on This Heart of Mine” and “This Is the Girl I Love.” He is a former member of Bill Monroe’s Blue Grass Boys. Until his death, he continued to play with his own band in Muscle Shoals, Alabama.
• Herschel Sizemore also worked with Del McCoury, The Shenandoah Cut-Ups and the Bluegrass Cardinals. He also led his own band and was featured in a documentary film about his life titled Mandolin in B.
• Rual Yarbrough also worked with Bill Monroe’s Blue Grass Boys in the 1970’s.
• 2010, Yarbrough died at the age of 80.
• 2018, Landers died at the age of 79.
• 2022, Sizemore died at the age of 87.

THE DOERFELS

• From Buffalo, New York.
• A family band whose members are: TJ (banjo), Kim (fiddle), Eddy (mandolin), Ben (guitar), and Joe (bass). They range in age (2009) from 13 to 20. They have younger siblings who also are learning to play.
• 2009, released first album and video What I’m Looking For (Patuxent).

JERRY DOUGLAS

• From Warren, Ohio. Lives in Nashville.
• Nickname: “Flux”, which means “to become fluid” (Websters).
• Grew up in a musical family; his father played guitar in a bluegrass band called the West Virginia Travelers.
• At age 8, went to a Flatt and Scruggs concert and saw Dobro™ player Josh Graves for the first time. It was then that he knew he wanted to play a Dobro™.
• Was a track star in high school.
• Age 15, joined the The West Virginia Travelers (with his father) and later that year was offered a job with the Country Gentlemen. He declined to finish his education, but made a few guest appearances with them briefly during the summer of 1973 and met Ricky Skaggs who became one of his best friends.
• 1974, joined the Country Gentlemen.
• 1975, joined J.D. Crowe’s band, The New South, with friend Ricky Skaggs.
• 1977, formed Boone Creek with Ricky Skaggs, disbanding when Ricky Skaggs went to work for Emmy Lou Harris the following year.
• 1978, rejoined the Country Gentlemen.
• 1979, released first solo project Fluxology (Rounder).
• 1980, joined The Whites.
• 1982, released Fluxedo album (Rounder).
• 1986, left The Whites to spend more time at home with his wife, Jill.
• 1992, released album Slide Rule (Rounder), which won IBMA award for Recorded Event of the Year.
• 1994, album Skip Hop & Wobble (with Russ Barenberg and Edgar Meyer) won IBMA Award for “Instrumental Recording of the Year.”
• 1995, album The Great Dobro Sessions (produced by Douglas) won IBMA Awards for “Recorded Event of the Year” and “Instrumental Album of the Year.”
• 1998, joined Alison Krauss and Union Station (replaced Adam Steffey) while continuing to perform with his own band and pursue other musical opportunities (recording, producing, etc.)
• 1998, won Dobro™ player of the Year at the Academy of Country Music Awards.
• 2000, appeared in the movie “O Brother, Where Art Thou”.
• 2002, won CMA and Americana awards for Instrumentalist of the Year.
• Had a band called “the Brickbats.”
• 2005, 2007, won the CMA award for Musician of the Year
• 2008, released Glide album (Koch Records).
• 2009, released Jerry Christmas album (Koch Records).
• 2012, released Traveler album, recording in various locations with guests such as Eric Clapton, Paul Simon, Bela Fleck, Dr. John, Alison Krauss, Marc Cohen, Mumford and Sons and others.
• 2014, formed the Earls of Leicester, a band that replicates the music of Flatt and Scruggs.
• 2014, released an album with Mike Auldridge (his last recordings) and Rob Ickes called Three Bells (Rounder).
• 2015, won his 9th IBMA award for Dobro™ Player of the Year (also won in 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 2001, 2002).
• 2015, won an IBMA Award for Instrumental Recording of the Year (for “The Three Bells”).
• 2024, was inducted into the Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame.
• 2024, released solo album The Set (Many Hats Productions).

THE DREADFUL SNAKES

• From Nashville.
• A studio band featuring Bela Fleck (banjo), Jerry Douglas (Dobro™), Blaine Sprouse (fiddle), Roland White (mandolin), Pat Enright (guitar) and Mark Hembree (bass).
• 1983, they recorded one album Snakes Alive! (Rounder Records).
• 1984, Enright and Hembree teamed up with Alan O’Bryant to form The Nashville Bluegrass Band.

DR. ELMO

• From Novato, California, near San Francisco.
• 1979, had a big hit with “Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer,” recorded as a duet with his then-wife Patsy. It made him a millionaire several times over.
• Real name: Dr. Elmo Shropshire.
• He is a veterinarian, hence the “Dr.” He was born in Lexington, Kentucky and tended racehorses for several years. He moved to San Francisco and opened an animal hospital. He is also a competitive distance runner.
• Plays the banjo and has recorded several albums with his bluegrass band, Wild Blue.
• 2010, released Dr. Elmo: Bluegrass Christmas album (Time-Life Entertainment).

CASEY DRIESSEN

• From Chicago, Illinois.
• Started playing fiddle at age 6.
• Attended Berklee College of Music; taught by Matt Glaser.
• 1999, toured with Steve Earle and the Bluegrass Dukes.
• 2000, moved to Nashville. Has worked there with Tim O’Brien, Abigail Washburn, Darrell Scott, Béla Fleck, Jim Lauderdale, Lee Ann Womack, Mark Schatz, others.
• 2004, played on the soundtrack to the movie “Walk the Line” (about Johnny Cash).
• Has a band of his own called the Colorfools.

DRIVEN

• From Kansas and Utah.
• Formed in 2010 by Jimmy Campbell (banjo/Dobro™), Blake McLemore (bass), Brandon McLemore (mandolin), Jake Workman (guitar) and Rebekah Workman (fiddle).
• Brandon and Blake McLemore are identical twins from Kansas. They originally played in their family band “The McLemores” (1997-2007) and also played with a band called Grassfire. They also play in a cowboy/western swing band called Marshall Allen Bailey & The Silver Bullets.
• Jake and Rebekah Workman are married and live in the Salt Lake City, Utah area. (In 2015, Jake replaced Cody Kilby as guitarist with Ricky Skaggs and Kentucky Thunder).
• 2012, released “Driven,” their first album.
• 2013, released You’ll Be Lonely, I’ll Be Gone album on their own label.

DRUHA TRAVA

• From the Czech Republic (formerly Czechoslavakia).
• Formed in 1991 by singer/songwriter Robert Krestan and banjo player Lubos Malina.
• Krestan and banjo player Lubos Malina were formerly in a popular Czech band called Poutnici.
• Druha Trava means “second grass.” The name originally had nothing to do with bluegrass. This was Krestan and Malina’s second band, so they chose a name which meant “second harvest.” But it actually means “second grass.”
• They call their music “Czechgrass.”
• 1998, recorded an album with Peter Rowan; signed with Compass Records.
• 1999, released Czechmate album (Compass Records) and won the Czech Music Academy Award (equivalent to our Grammy) for Band of the Year.
• 2001, released New Freedom Bell album with Peter Rowan (Compass).
• 2006, released Good Morning Friend album (Compass).
• 2011, toured with harmonica legend Charlie McCoy.

THE DRY BRANCH FIRE SQUAD

• From Springfield, Ohio.
• Formed in 1976 by mandolinist Ron Thomason.
• The band is known for playing a raw style of mountain music along with Thomason’s self-deprecating hillbilly humor.
• They are the host band for the annual “Grey Fox” Bluegrass Festival in New York.
• Thomason’s first pro job: 1971, with Ralph Stanley and the Clinch Mountain Boys. (Ricky Skaggs and Keith Whitley were also members of that group.)
• Bandleader Thomason was an English teacher and assistant principal at a junior high school near his home (retired in 1999). He is a prolific writer and story teller. He has also raised and trained Arabian horses. Retired to live in Colorado (near Pike’s Peak). He is an avid hiker and rock climber.
• They recorded 16 albums for Rounder Records including Thirtieth Anniversary Special (2007).
• 2014, released Don’t Forget This Song and Gospel Way albums (no label).

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 Sports, Versus Television, and several movie soundtracks.
• Members include Lisa Jacobi (fiddle, mandolin, flat-pick guitar, bass), Pete Dasher (resonator guitar), JRod (Jarrod) Payne (banjo, guitar) and Denny Mixon (bass, guitar).
• 2005, released first album “Tennessee Twister” produced by Harry Stinson.
• 2006 changed their band name to Steel String Session.
• 2009 released their second album “Ocoee Road” produced by Harry Stinson.
• 2012 at the suggestion of Sam Bush, changed band name to Playing On The Planet.
• 2014, released third album “Bangor Bound“produced by Lisa Jacobi and Ben Surratt.

DUE WEST

• From the San Francisco area.
• 1992, released album “Due West.”
• 2003, released “These Boots” album. Band members: Bill Evans (banjo), Jim Nunally (guitar), Erik Thomas (mandolin), Chad Manning (fiddle) and Cindy Browne (bass).

JOHN DUFFEY

• From Washington, D.C.
• 1957, co-founded The Country Gentlemen.
• 1969, quit the Country Gentlemen so that he could stay home more and pursue his passion for bowling.
• 1971, formed The Seldom Scene (the name indicating his desire for the band to stay home and not be “seen” on the road more than necessary.)
• Besides his aggressive mandolin playing and his unique falsetto tenor voice, he was known for his outrageous stage presence, his wry sense of humor, his bad taste in clothing and his eternal flat top hairdo.
• 1996, inducted into the IBMA’s Hall of Honor as a member of the “Classic” Country Gentlemen.
• Died in 1996 at the age of 62.
• 2000, Sugar Hill Records released album Always in Style: A Classic Collection.

BILL DUNCAN

• From Liberty, West Virginia.
• 1954, formed a band called the Harmony Mountain Boys. He played guitar and sang lead vocals. They worked a TV show for more than a year on WCHS in Charleston, West Virginia.
• 1957, 1960, worked stints with Bill Monroe, playing guitar.
• 1961, released an album for King Records “A Scene Near My Country Home.”
• 1976, played with Don Sowards and the Laurel Mountain Boys. He and Sowards were both previously in the Harmony Mountain Boys.
• 1980-2000, performed with his son William as the West Virginia Boys.
• Died in 2013.

GLEN DUNCAN

• From Columbus, Indiana.
• As a band member, he has played fiddle with The Kendalls, Larry Sparks, Bill Monroe, Jim & Jesse, The Osborne Brothers, Reba McIntyre, Garth Brooks, Lonesome Standard Time, and Mike Snider.
• Session credits include albums by Reba McIntyre, Garth Brooks, Lyle Lovett, Earl Scruggs, Rodney Crowell, Shania Twain, George Strait, Vince Gill, many others.
• First instrument: learned to play steel guitar at age 6.
• 1980, formed Glen Duncan and Phoenix.
• 1985, recorded solo project “Town and Country Fiddler” on Turquoise Records.
• 1988, recorded solo project “Sweetwater” on Turquoise Records.
• 1990-1995, formed Larry Cordle, Glen Duncan and Lonesome Standard Time.
• 1997, formed Longview with James King, Joe Mullins, Dudley Connell, Marshall Wilburn and Don Rigsby.
• 2000, performed with Earl Scruggs on his album, video, personal appearances.
• 2001, won Grammy for his performance on Earl Scrugg’s “Foggy Mountain Breakdown” (Best Country Instrumental)
• 2001, formed “Rock County” with Don Rigsby.
• 2002, featured on Nitty Gritty Dirt Band’s “Will the Circle Be Unbroken, Volume 3”
• 2003, a member of Earl Scruggs’ “Family and Friends” tour.

STUART DUNCAN

• Grew up in Santa Paula and Vista, California (near San Diego). Lives in Nashville.
• One of the top fiddle players in bluegrass music. He is also one of Nashville’s “A-list” studio musicians and has performed and recorded with hundreds of top country and popular music artists.
• Age 10, played in a San Diego bluegrass band made up entirely of kids under the age of 14 called “The Pendleton Pickers.” John Moore was also a member of this group.
• 1980, joined Lost Highway.
• 1983, joined Larry Sparks and the Lonesome Ramblers.
• 1985-present, the Nashville Bluegrass Band.
• 2012, won his 8th IBMA award for Fiddle Player of the Year (also won in 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996 and 2005).
• 1992, released Stuart Duncan album (Rounder).
• 2011, participated in the Goat Rodeo Sessions with Chris Thile, Edgar Meyer and Yo Yo Ma.
• 2014, toured with Noam Pikelny.