- 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, album Slide Rule 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”).