Among the most distinguished practitioners of
traditional bluegrass,
Del McCoury was the epitome of the "high lonesome sound" for over three decades. Born
Delano Floyd McCoury, he was raised in Bakersville, NC. In 1941, he and his family moved to Glen Rock, PA, where he got his start as a five-string banjo picker with Keith Daniels & the Blue Ridge Ramblers. Later he played with
Jack Cooke's Virginia Mountain Boys in Baltimore.
McCoury got his first big break in 1963 when
Bill Monroe hired the Virginia Mountain Boys to play a few New York gigs.
Monroe was impressed by the young banjo player and invited him to join his
Blue Grass Boys. Shortly after accepting
Monroe's offer,
McCoury became the group's lead vocalist and took up rhythm guitar.
(
read more)
Among the most distinguished practitioners of
traditional bluegrass,
Del McCoury was the epitome of the "high lonesome sound" for over three decades. Born
Delano Floyd McCoury, he was raised in Bakersville, NC. In 1941, he and his family moved to Glen Rock, PA, where he got his start as a five-string banjo picker with Keith Daniels & the Blue Ridge Ramblers.
"BlueBeat has changed my life! ...I listen to my
[Crate] all the time, and like the Lord I declare my creation good..."
-----John David Baldwin,
BlueBeat listener
& DJ Crate creatorRegistered BlueBeat users, make your own programs and declare them good at our
Be The DJ channel
Later he played with
Jack Cooke's Virginia Mountain Boys in Baltimore.
McCoury got his first big break in 1963 when
Bill Monroe hired the Virginia Mountain Boys to play a few New York gigs.
Monroe was impressed by the young banjo player and invited him to join his
Blue Grass Boys. Shortly after accepting
Monroe's offer,
McCoury became the group's lead vocalist and took up rhythm guitar. In early 1964, he recorded one single with
Monroe, but a month later returned home to marry.
Following his marriage, he and fiddler Billy Baker spent three months in California playing with the Golden State Boys. Upon his return back east,
McCoury began playing and recording with the Shady Valley Boys.
McCoury left the group in 1967 and founded the Dixie Pals with
Bill Emerson, Wayne Yates, and Billy Baker. McCoury & His Dixie Pals, which underwent several membership changes, played together for over 20 years and recorded on such labels as Rounder, Revonah, Leather, and Rebel. In 1987, the unit was renamed
the Del McCoury Band following the additions of his sons
Ronnie on mandolin and Robbie on banjo along with fiddler Tad Marks and bass player Mike Brantley.
(
collapse)
