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Jul 16, 2024 · Any list of bluegrass artists has to include names of famous male and female bluegrass singers, including Doc Watson, Bill Monroe, Alison Krauss & Union Station, Old Crow Medicine Show, Nickel Creek, and the Stanley Brothers. These are some of the best bluegrass bands and with good reason - while new bluegrass bands come and go, these are ...
- Bill Monroe & The Blue Grass Boys
- Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder
- Lester Flatt & Earl Scruggs
- Alison Krauss & Union Station
- Osborne Brothers
- Yonder Mountain String Band
- Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver
- Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
- New Grass Revival
- Country Gentlemen
You simply can’t have a list like this that doesn’t have Bill Monroe & The Blue Grass Boysat the top. Monroe, a Kentucky native, is credited with inventing bluegrass, so it makes sense that his band would occupy the top slot. It is a strain of country music with fast tempos, tight harmonies, and chops. If you aren’t a real musician, bluegrass would...
With seven Grammys to their name, Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunderhave become the imminent heirs to the Bill Monroe legacy. Skaggs sings and plays the mandolin, and though his name is on the marquee, the rest of the band members are accomplished players too. Skaggs began a music career playing more mainstream country with Emmylou Harris, but in the ...
Bluegrass duo Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs—guitar and banjo, respectively—left Bill Monroe and the Blue Grass Boys in 1948 to form their own act. The pair had a backing band, the Foggy Mountain Boys, in which many big names played, and for the 25 years they performed together, they made a huge mark. Most notably, “Foggy Mountain Breakdown” was a h...
When she was 16, Alison Krauss released an album. Two years later, in 1989, she joined forces with Union Station, and since then, Alison Krauss & Union Stationhas been a bluegrass and country mainstay. Despite the band members’ musicianship, the outfit still sometimes gets overshadowed by its frontwoman. Known for her ethereal voice as much as for ...
Born in Kentucky and raised in Ohio, Bobby and Sonny Osborne were playing bluegrass as young adults, but not together. The end of the Korean War brought Bobby home from Asia in one piece, and the brothers decided to form a band. Since Sonny was playing with Bill Monroe while Bobby was serving in the army, their music ended up being bluegrass. They ...
After “Blue Grass Boys,” “Yonder Mountain” might be the most bluegrass-sounding phrase ever. Yonder Mountain String Bandhails from Colorado and has been reinventing and revitalizing bluegrass music for many years. By the time they recorded their 1999 debut album, they already had a huge and dedicated following due to their sound and the respect the...
Doyle Lawson was still in his teens when he started playing banjo and mandolin for some big names in bluegrass back in the ’60s. By 1979, he had formed Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver. Lawson himself won a National Heritage Fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts in 2006, and the act was continually honored by the International Bluegrass Mus...
While many may consider the Nitty Gritty Dirt Banda country-rock act, the group had its first successes playing with bluegrass legends like Earl Scruggs and Roy Acuff. Their bluegrass project was the 1972 triple-Platinum album Will the Circle Be Unbroken and its follow-up Will the Circle Be Unbroken: Volume Two. The latter received an Album of the ...
From the time they formed in 1971 up until the group’s last performance in 1989, New Grass Revivalpushed limits and actively worked to expand the horizons of what bluegrass music could be and do. In that vein, they played bluegrass versions of songs by the Beatles and Bob Marley, served as the backing band for Leon Russell for a time, and wrote ori...
As one of the first progressive bluegrass acts, the Country Gentleman were doing in the 1950s what the New Grass Revival did in the ’70s and ’80s—try to bring bluegrass to new audiences and open the genre up for exploration. With names like Doyle Lawson and Eddie Adcock playing as part of the act at different times, the band was a collection of shi...
- Bill Monroe & The Blue Grass Boys. I think it’s fair to put the band, who is responsible for the name of the genre, on top of the list. Bill Monroe, often referred to as the ‘Godfather of Bluegrass,’ created the Blue Grass Boys in 1945 and became a star in country music.
- Lester Flatt & Earl Scruggs. After leaving Bill Monroe’s the Blue Grass Boys, Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs went on to form Foggy Mountain Boys in 1948.
- The Del McCoury Band. Another alumnus of the Blue Grass Boys, Del McCoury is a vocalist and guitarist who formed the Del McCoury Band in 1967. Originally called Del McCoury and the Dixie Pals, the band got its present name much later in 1998.
- Alison Krauss & Union Station. Alison Krauss was discovered as a talented Bluegrass singer at just 16. Soon, she joined Union Station with the rest of the band backing her up.
May 31, 2024 · Exploring the 20 best bluegrass bands is a journey through the rich history and modern evolution of this genre. Discover the exceptional talent and unique sound of each group that has significantly contributed to bluegrass music. Contents show 1. Bill Monroe & The Blue Grass Boys 2. Lester Flatt & Earl Scruggs 3. The Del […]
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- Dueling Banjos – Eric Weissberg with Steve Mandell. Dueling Banjos (HD) This has to be one of the most iconic songs of the 20th century due to its appearance in the cult classic movie Deliverance.
- Nine Pound Hammer – Tony Rice. Tony Rice All Star Jam plays Nine Pound Hammer. This classic bluegrass song was originally recorded in 1927 and has been a favorite ever since, played with pride by dozens of artists including the world-renowned Johnny Cash.
- Tennessee 1949 – Larry Sparks. Tennessee 1949. Considering Larry Sparks was only a toddler in 1949, it’s ironic how well he conveys nostalgia for his youth!
- Man Of Constant Sorrow – Stanley Brothers and Soggy Bottom Boys. Soggy Bottom Boys- I Am A Man Of Constant Sorrow. This song was originally written and performed by the Stanley Brothers, but we have to give it to the Soggy Bottom Boys for their version that became an international sensation through the widely acclaimed Cohen Brother masterpiece O Brother Where Art Thou.
Jul 1, 2024 · Together, Alison Krauss and Union Station hold a permanent place in the annals of progressive bluegrass history. More Alison Krauss & Union Station. #33 of 50 on The 50 Best Country Singers Of The '90s, Ranked. #13 of 143 on The Best Americana Bands & Artists of All Time. #2 of 89 on The Best Bluegrass Bands and Artists.
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Apr 24, 2012 · Flatt and Scruggs – “Foggy Mountain Breakdown”. The sound of Earl Scruggs playing single-handedly fused the banjo with bluegrass in most people’s minds. The three finger style that he ...
