DEL MCCOURY (THE DEL MCCOURY BAND)
- From York, Pennsylvania. Currently lives in Nashville.
- Began playing banjo at age 14.
- 1963, played banjo with a Baltimore group, The Virginia Playboys.
- 1963-1964, worked with Bill Monroe and the Blue Grass Boys. Hired by Monroe to play guitar and sing lead (even though he didn’t own a guitar).
- 1964, moved to California to join The Golden State Boys with Vern Gosdin and Don Parmley; also worked with another California band, The Shady Valley Boys.
- After California, moved back to North Carolina and worked in his father’s sawmill.
- 1967, formed The Dixie Pals.
- 1983, changed his band name to the Del McCoury Band. His song Ronnie joined the band playing mandolin.
- 1985, recorded first album (self-titled).
- 1987, his son Robbie joined the band on banjo. First album with this version of the band was Don’t Stop the Music
(Rounder).
- 1992, moved to Nashville.
- 1996, won his fourth IBMA Award for Male Vocalist of the Year (also won in 1990, 1991, 1992).
- 1997-8, toured and recorded with country singer Steve Earle. They did one album together called Mountain
.
- 1998, appeared on CBS-TV special called “To Life: America Celebrates Israel’s 50th.” They played with a Klezmer band to show the similarities between traditional American music and traditional Israeli music. Also on the program: Stevie Wonder, Harry Connick, Jr., Natalie Cole, Michael Douglas, Kevin Costner.
- 1998, recorded with Doc Watson and Mac Wiseman as the “GrooveGrass Boyz.”
- 2001-2, toured with the “Down from the Mountain” tour.
- 2002, won the IBMA award for Song of the Year (“1952 Vincent Black Lightning”)
- 2003, after a national tour with Leftover Salmon, his newly acquired fans became known as “DelHeads.”
- 2003, was inducted into the Grand Ole Opry.
- 2004, won his ninth IBMA Award for Entertainer of the Year (he also won in 1994, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003).
- 2006, Del began doing a weekly show on Sirius Satellite Radio called “Hand Picked.”
- 2008, he began producing his own music festival called DelFest.
- 2009, his band members formed a progressive group called The Traveling McCoury’s.
- 2011, collaborated with the Preservation Hall Jazz Band for an album called American Legacies
and several concert appearances.
- 2013, a stretch of Highway 261 in Mitchell County North Carolina (north of Bakersville) was named “The Del McCoury Highway.”
- 2019, won the IBMA Award for Album of the Year (“Del McCoury Still Sings Bluegrass”).
RECOMMENDED ALBUMS:
- Don’t Stop the Music
- Classic Bluegrass
(Rebel, 1991)
- Livin on the Mountain
(Rebel, 1992)
- The Blue Side of Town
(Rounder, 1992)
- A Deeper Shade of Blue
(Rounder, 1993)
- Cold Hard Facts
(Rounder, 1996)
- The Family
(Ceili Music, 1999)
- Del and the Boys
(Ceili Music, 2001) Includes Song of the Year “1952 Vincent Black Lightning.”
- High Lonesome & Blues
(Rounder, 2004)
- It’s Just the Night
(McCoury Music, 2003) 2004, won IBMA Award for Album of the Year.
- The Company We Keep
(McCoury Music, 2005) 2006, won the Grammy Award for Best Bluegrass Album.
- The Promised Land
(McCoury Music, 2006)
- Moneyland
(McCoury Music, 2008) Songs about the Great Depression and other songs about greed and poverty.
- By Request
(McCoury Music, 2009)
- Family Circle
(McCoury Music, 2009)
- Old Memories: The Songs of Bill Monroe
(McCoury Music, 2012)
- Streets of Baltimore
(McCoury Music, 2013) 2014 winner of the Grammy Award for Best Bluegrass Album.
- Del and Woody (McCoury Music, 2016) A tribute to the songs of Woody Guthrie.
- Del McCoury Still Sings Bluegrass (McCoury Music 2018). A tribute to his first album “Del McCoury Sings Bluegrass” which was recorded 50 years earlier). Won the IBMA Award for Album of the Year.