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THE DEL MCCOURY BAND Even among the pantheon of music’s finest artists, Del McCoury stands alone. From the nascent sound of bluegrass that charmed hardscrabble hillbilly honkytonks, rural schoolhouse stages, and the crowning glory of the Grand Ole Opry to the present-day culture-buzz of viral videos and digital streams, Del is the living link.
Emerging from humble beginnings in York County, Pa. nearly eighty years ago, Del was captivated by the banjo playing of one of its masters, Earl Scruggs, and decided he’d be a banjo picker, too. He was offered the opportunity of a lifetime to join Bill Monroe’s Blue Grass Boys in early 1963. Monroe transformed McCoury, moving him from the banjo to guitar, anointing him lead singer, and providing him with a priceless trove of bluegrass tutelage direct from the source.
Now helming the Del McCoury Band, with sons Ronnie and Rob, the ensemble is a peerless torchbearer for the entire sweep and scope of bluegrass history. Those many years, not to mention a good-natured willingness to stay alert to the latest sounds and opportunities around him, earned McCoury a whole new generation of fans, including some in unlikely places.
“I’m just doing what’s natural,” says Del. “When young musicians ask me what they should do I always tell them, ‘You do whatever’s inside of you. Do what you do best.’”
With but a single change in membership in twenty seven years The Del McCoury Band shows unprecedented stability as well as garnering the respect and admiration of the industry for its unmistakable work: ten IBMA Entertainer of the Year trophies (most recently in 2024); in 2003, Del’s awarded membership in the cast of the legendary Grand Ole Opry; the band’s first Best Bluegrass Album Grammy award, in ’05, followed by a second Grammy win in 2014, (not to mention double-digit nominations). “I know (having the same band) helped with my success. It keeps your sound constant,” says Del. “We really enjoy what we’re doing.”
If there was ever a collection of recordings confirming McCoury’s wide-ranging impact and spirit of musical comradery, it would be American Legacies. Recorded post-Hurricane Katrina, the album is a collaboration with New Orleans’ revered Preservation Hall Jazz Band, presenting a musical cross-section of traditional bluegrass and the Dixieland pomp of New Orleans, typifying the Del McCoury Band’s evolution from bluegrass vanguard to an American treasure. “All music is related. Bill Monroe went to New Orleans and listened to jazz players. Earl Scruggs- some of the tunes he recorded were from New Orleans,” says Del. “It all fits together if you’re willing to be open-minded.”
On their latest release, Songs of Love and Life, A 15-song collection, the album features a diverse set of tracks–vintage and contemporary–as McCoury and his crackerjack band nod to icons Kenny Rogers, Roy Orbison, and Elvis Presley, as well as welcoming next-generation talent Molly Tuttle to the party. Across his six decades of making classic albums, Del knows what he’s looking for in a song. “I like a challenge. I’ve always liked a challenge,” says Del. “I like to learn different things. Doing the same things is boring to me.”
https://www.delmccouryband.com/
WAYNE HENDERSON & FRIENDS
Wayne Henderson & Friends will be opening the show.
Wayne Henderson is an accomplished luthier and performer from Rugby, Va. He developed a unique musical style using a thumbpick and fingerpicks that mimics the sound of flatpicking — producing fast, accurate, clean notes.
In addition to handcrafting guitars that are coveted by musicians around the world, Henderson has won more than 300 ribbons at fiddlers’ convention competitions, is a National Endowment for the Arts National Heritage Fellow, and was part of the Masters of the Steel String Guitar tours.
Henderson has performed at Carnegie Hall, Smithsonian Institution, on A Prairie Home Companion, and for the 1992 presidential inauguration. He has hosted the annual Wayne C. Henderson Music Festival and Guitar Competition since 1995. Winning the competition is said to be the only way to skip the waiting list for a handmade Henderson guitar.
https://www.waynehenderson.org/wayne-henderson/
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Event Venue & Nearby Stays
Music Center Road, Galax, VA, United States, Virginia 24333, Lambsburg, United States
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