RADIO FLYER From Springfield, Missouri. Formed in 1984 by David Wilson (mandolin/fiddle) and Dudley Murphey (guitar). Won “Best New Bluegrass Band of 1985” at the…
RAGGED UNION From Golden, Colorado. Formed in 2013 by Geoff Union (guitar) and his wife Christina (vocals). Other band members: Jordan Ramsey (mandolin), Chris Elliott…
RAILROAD EARTH From Stillwater, New Jersey. Formed in 2001 by Andy Groessling (banjo), Tim Carbone (fiddle), John Skehan (mandolin), Carey Harmon (percussion), Dave Von Dollen…
THE RAILROADERS From the Virginia-North Carolina-Kentucky-Maryland region. Formed in 2016 by four bluegrass music veterans: Shayne Bartley (mandolin), Darren Beachley (bass), Greg Luck (guitar) and…
THE RAILSPLITTERS From Boulder, Colorado. Formed in 2012 by Lauren Stovall (guitar/lead vocals), Dusty Rider (banjo), Peter Sharpe (mandolin), and Leslie Ziegler (bass). Ziegler was…
MISSY RAINES From Short Gap, West Virginia. Lives in Nashville, Tennessee. Real name: Melissa Kay Raines Surratt (also plays a Kay bass!) Has played bass…
THE RAMBLING ROOKS (See BAND OF RUHKS) A part-time band formed in 2012 by Ronnie Bowman (bass), Don Rigsby (mandolin) and Kenny Smith (guitar). 1995-2001,…
THE RARELY HERD From Athens, Ohio. Formed in 1989 by Jeff Weaver (guitar) and Jim and Alan Stack (guitar and mandolin). Other original members: Dan…
AARON RAMSEY From Morganton, North Carolina. Began playing mandolin when he was 12 years old in a Gospel bluegrass band called Damascus Road. His father…
EDDY RAVEN From LaFayette, Louisiana. Real name: Edward Garvin Futch. In 1962 he changed his name to Eddy Raven when he released his first single…
MARTY RAYBON (AND FULL CIRCLE) From Tuscumbia, Alabama. Best known as the lead singer for the successful country band Shenandoah (1984-1997). 1991, won ACM Vocal…
JAMES REAMS (AND THE BARNSTORMERS) From southeast Kentucky. Lived in Brooklyn, New York and Phoenix, Arizona (he had homes in both cities). A guitarist and…
RED RECTOR Originally from Marshall, North Carolina. Real name: William Eugene Rector. One of first mandolin players in bluegrass to have a style distinguishable from…
RED CAMEL COLLECTIVE From Walnut Cove, North Carolina. Formed in 2023 by Tony Mabe (banjo), Heather Berry Mabe (guitar/lead vocals), Johnathan Dillon (mandolin) and Curt…
THE RED CLAY RAMBLERS Formed in 1972 by Jim Watson (guitar), Tommy Thompson (banjo) and Bill Hicks (fiddle). Known as “America’s Favorite Whatzit Band.” They…
RED JUNE (See also Zoe and Cloyd) From Asheville, North Carolina. Formed in 2008 by Will Straughan (Dobro™ and guitar), Natalya Zoe Weinstein (fiddle), and…
RED MOLLY From New York City. A female vocal trio specializing in folk/Americana with a bluegrassy feel (lots of Dobro™, occasional banjo). Formed in 2004…
RED WINE From Genoa, Italy. Formed in 1978. One of Europe’s first professional bluegrass bands. Guitarist Beppe Gambetta was a founding member of this band.…
RED, WHITE AND BLUE(GRASS) From Birmingham, Alabama. Formed in 1970 by Ginger Boatwright (vocals), Grant Boatwright (guitar), Dave Sebolt (bass) and Dale Whitcomb (banjo). Norman…
THE REELTIME TRAVELERS From Johnson City, Tennessee. Formed in 1999. Name: they play old-time (string band) music in a “real time” (modern) context. Members: Thomas…
LOU REID (AND CAROLINA) Born on a tobacco farm in Moore Springs, North Carolina. Real last name: Pyrtle. Birthday: September 13—same as Bill Monroe’s. Began…
JOHN REISCHMAN (AND THE JAYBIRDS) From Vancouver, B.C., Canada. Originally from Ukia, California. Was inspired to play mandolin by David Grisman. Owns (and plays) a…
REMEDY TREE From St. Augustine, Florida. Formed in 2015 by husband and wife Gabriel (guitar/fiddle) and Abigail Acevedo (bass). Also in the band: Bryce Griffin…
REMINGTON RYDE From McClure, Pennsylvania. Formed in 2005 by Ryan Frankhouser (guitar, vocals). Other band members: Billy Lee Cox (banjo), Warren Blair (fiddle), Richard Egolf…
THE RENO BROTHERS From Nashville, Tennessee. Formed in 1984, broke up as a band (not as brothers) in 2001. Includes Dale, Don Wayne and Ronnie—the…
DON RENO From Spartanburg, South Carolina. One of the innovators and early masters of the bluegrass (three-finger style) banjo. Like Earl Scruggs, learned to play…
DON RENO, RED SMILEY (AND THE TENNESSEE CUT-UPS) One of the of the pioneering first-generation bluegrass bands. Very popular and influential throughout the 50’s and…
RONNIE RENO (AND THE RENO TRADITION) From Nashville. Oldest son of the late Don Reno. Began performing and recording with his father and Red Smiley…
RETRO 78 From Inman, South Carolina. Band members: Hunter Motts (banjo), Jacob Jackson (mandolin), Bill Turnbill (fiddle), Clint Groves (guitar), Brad Kaylor (bass), and Aaron…
SHANNON LEIGH REYNOLDS From Washington DC; originally from Georgia. She is a singer/songwriter/guitarist who performs bluegrass, classic country, and other folk styles of music. 2017,…
LARRY RICE Born in Danville, Virginia. Grew up in California. A mandolin player, vocalist and songwriter. The oldest of the Rice Brothers (Larry, Tony, Ronnie…
TONY RICE From Danville, Virginia. Grew up in southern California, near L.A. Considered one of the greatest flatpick guitar players of all time. Until he…
WYATT RICE (AND SANTA CRUZ) Born in California. Grew up in Florida. Lives in Ferrum, Virginia. Like his brother Tony, he is an accomplished flat-pick…
RICH IN TRADITION From Low Gap, North Carolina. Formed in 2008 by Mickey Galyean (guitar), Greg Jones (mandolin), Brad Hiatt (bass), Tim Martin (fiddle), Jay…
DEANIE RICHARDSON From Kingston Springs, Tennessee, near Nashville. An award-winning fiddler, she has worked with country and bluegrass artists such as Vince Gill, Patty Loveless,…
KEVIN RICHARDSON (AND CUTTIN’ EDGE) From Seagrove, North Carolina. 2002, joined Lou Reid and Carolina. 2008, joined the Larry Stephenson Band. 2012, formed his own…
BRANDON RICKMAN From Purdy, Missouri. Lives in Nashville. 1999, joined The New Tradition playing upright bass. 2001, joined Larry Cordle and Lonesome Standard Time. 2002,…
RIC-O-CHET From Boone, North Carolina. Formed in 1993 by Jimmy Trivette (bass), Steve Lewis (banjo), Randy Greer (guitar) and David Pendley (mandolin.) 1994, released Ricochet…
THE RIGNEYS From Nashville, Tennessee. A family band featuring Mark Rigney (banjo), Melissa Rigney (bass) and their two sons Andrew (guitar, mandolin, banjo) and Grant…
DON RIGSBY From Isonville, Kentucky. One of the best known tenor singers in bluegrass music. Plays mandolin. Began professional career as a member of the…
JOHN RIGSBY From Sandy Hook, Kentucky. Began his career with Dwight Whitley and the Sideroads while in high school. 1995, joined Ralph Stanley and the…
RIVERBEND From St. Louis, Missouri. Formed in 2015 by Aaron Muskopf (guitar), Andy Novara (mandolin), Will Miskall (bass), Kris Shewmake (banjo), Blake Korte (Dobro™). They…
CHRIS ROBERTS From Montana. He has also lived in New York City. He is a singer/songwriter now living in Nashville. He has appeared in several…
DANNY ROBERTS From Leitchfield, Kentucky. Lives in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. Began playing guitar at age 13, mandolin a few years later. 1988, formed The New Tradition,…
JAELEE ROBERTS From Nashville, Tennessee. She grew up around bluegrass music; her father is Danny Roberts (of the Grascals) and her mother is Andrea Roberts…
TAMMY JONES ROBINETTE From Middlesboro, Kentucky. She and her husband Jim currently live in Northeast Ohio in the Lake Erie region. Grew up as part…
BUTCH ROBINS From Lebanon, Virginia. Lives in Pulaski, Virginia. Real name: Joseph Calvin Robins. 1967, won banjo contest at Union Grove Festival. Shortly thereafter, worked…
KIM ROBINS From Bloomington, Indiana. Lives in Nashville, TN. Began singing at an early age but postponed her music career for 40 years. Worked as…
ROCK COUNTY From various parts of Kentucky. Formed in 2001 by Don Rigsby (formerly with the Lonesome River Band). Members included Rigsby (mandolin), Glen Duncan…
ROCK HEARTS From New England (Massachusetts/Rhode Island/Connecticut/New York). Formed in 2013 by Alex McLeod (guitar), Billy Thibodeau (mandolin), Joe Deetz (banjo), Danny Musher (fiddle) and…
ROCKIN ACOUSTIC CIRCUS From Tulsa, Oklahoma. A band featuring five teen musicians and one adult who founded the band in 2005. Rick Morton. Morton is…
THE ROE FAMILY SINGERS From Kirkwood Hollow, Minnesota. Formed in 2005 by husband and wife duo Kim Roe (autoharp) and Quillan Roe (banjo/guitar). Other members…
TONY ROOK From North Carolina. Currently lives in Minnesota. Started playing rock music as a teenager, then turned to folk music. In his early 20’s…
IVAN ROSENBERG From Portland, Oregon. A Dobro™ (resophonic guitar) player who has worked with Chris Stuart and Backcountry, Evie Laden, Chris Jones and others. He…
PHIL ROSENTHAL From Guilford, Connecticut. 1970-75, played with a New England band called Apple Country. 1976-77, had a band with his wife Beth called “Old…
JOE ROSS (AND COLD THUNDER) From Roseburg, Oregon. He was born in Virginia but grew up in Japan and heard his first bluegrass there on…
JOHN ROSSBACH (AND CHESTNUT GROVE) From Elkins, West Virginia. Has also lived in Syracuse, New York. 1987, formed his band Chestnut Grove. They recorded and…
SANDY ROTHMAN From Berkeley, California (born in Oakland). A banjo, guitar and Dobro™ player who was a close friend of the late Jerry Garcia (of…
ROUTE 3 From Purdy, Missouri. Formed in 2018 by Jason Jordan (guitar), Doug Clifton (bass), Gaylon Harper (banjo) and Roy Bond (mandolin). They chose their…
PETER ROWAN From Wayland, Massachusetts. Performs a variety of musical styles including bluegrass, rock, Tex-Mex, Irish, country, rockabilly, folk and reggae. Began performing in junior…
ROXBORO CONNECTION From Roxboro, North Carolina. Formed in 2021 by Ricky Stroud (mandolin), Cliff Waddell (guitar), Ronald Smith (banjo), David Nance (Dobro™) and Adam Poindexter…
THE ROYS From Fitchburg, Massachusetts and also lived in Coal Branch, New Brunswick, Canada. Now live in Nashville. A brother/sister duo featuring Lee and Elaine…
TOM ROZUM From Waterbury, Connecticut. Best known as the singing partner of Laurie Lewis. He plays a rare 1924 Gibson Lloyd Loar F-5 mandolin. 1974,…
RUN BOY RUN From Tucson, Arizona. Band members include brother and sister Matt Rolland (fiddle, guitar) and Grace Rolland (cello, vocals) and sisters Bekah Sandoval…
RUN C&W From Nashville. A comedy act (1992-1995) specializing in bluegrass adaptations of Motown and classic rock songs. The brainchild of Bernie Leadon, founding member…
BILL RUNKLE & SMITH HOLLOW From Brogue, Pennsylvania. A banjo player who worked with Del McCoury’s Dixie Pals from 1969-1977. He played banjo on McCoury’s…
JOHNNY RUSSELL From Sunflower County, Mississippi. Grew up in Fresno, California. Billed himself as “the biggest act in country music” because of his large size.…