Not everyone is into bluegrass music, but if you are a big fan of it, you should be able to name a few bands. Let’s check it out some of our favorite ones.
From American roots music to a standalone musical style, bluegrass certainly has its place among the audience.
Emerged since the 18th from Appalachia, Bluegrass today is no longer your grandpa’s type of music anymore.
Thanks to those artists who had taken them to the mainstream, the genre has grown its fans a few more.
There are for sure many famous bluegrass bands out there. While those newly formed ones come and go, some stay with their reputation for goods.
This list here includes both classic and modern bands, since the beginning of bluegrass music. I know it won’t be enough, but we can always add more to the next list.
The Blue Grass Boy
The Blue Grass Boy is considered as one of the first bluegrass bands formed by Bill Monroe, the father of bluegrass music.
Established in 1938 in Kentucky, the band stayed for over 60 years. They also went through many changes in its members throughout the decades.
Foggy Mountain Boys
Found it by two former members of the Bluegrass Boys band, Foggy Mountain Boys is among one of the greatest bands in the history of the genre.
The Stanley Brothers
Carter Stanley and Ralph Stanley, known as The Stanley Brothers, are American musicians who formed their bluegrass band and named it The Clinch Mountain Boys.
They performed on the radio station at the beginning and sold their first record in 1947, which was successful.
The Stanley Brothers has many songs added to our collection of the best bluegrass songs of all time.
Kentucky Thunder
Kentucky Thunder is a bluegrass band that performs with Ricky Skaggs, an American country music singer, composer, and producer.
The band had gained popularity and become famous over time with many awards from the International Bluegrass Music Association and several Grammy Awards.
Osborne Brothers
The Osborne Brothers is a bluegrass band formed by the two brothers, Sonny Osborne and Bobby Osborne.
The band is famous for its song “Rocky Top” and considered one of the most influential bluegrass bands in the 60s and 70s.
New Grass Revival
New Grass Revival was a bluegrass band formed in 1971 and was famous for its cover Callin’ Baton Rouge in 1989.
The band specialized in progressive bluegrass with more than 20 albums. New Grass Revival was ranked at 37th in 1989 on the music charts in the United States.
Union Station
Union Station is a famous bluegrass band that associates with Alison Krauss, an American country bluegrass singer.
They are well-known for their best albums, including New Favorite, So Long So Wrong, I’ve Got That Old Feeling, which had won several awards and Grammy.
Trampled by Turtles
Including six members, Trampled by Turtles, is a famous bluegrass band from Minnesota that was formed in 2003.
The band had a total of eight albums so far, and one of them had stayed in the Top Ten for 52 weeks.
The Country Gentlemen
The Country Gentlemen was formed in Washington D.C during the 50s and went on successful with many tours and records. They had various members over the decade, including Charlie Waller, who was a core member of the bank and stayed for 47 years.
In 1996, they were inducted into the International Bluegrass Music Hall of Honor.
Infamous Stringdusters
The infamous Stringdusters are a bluegrass band from Nashville, Tennessee, with five members. They formed in 2006 and won three awards at the International Bluegrass Music Association in October 2007.
The Grascals
Also coming from Nashville, Tennessee, The Grascals include six members and founded in 2004. They became famous by playing at many festivals around the country.
Blue highway
Formed in 1994, this Tennessee based bluegrass band had several Grammy nominations and won many awards for their excellent performance. Their famous albums include Wondrous Love, Marbletown, and Original Traditional.
The Avett Brothers
The Avett Brothers is a bluegrass band from North Carolina and is made up of two brothers named Scott Avett and Seth Avett with other members. Not only bluegrass, but the group also combines a few different genres, including country, punk, pop, etc.
The Avett Brother had won four awards from Americana Music Honors and Awards and had been nominated several times the Grammy awards.
The Kentucky Colonel
This bluegrass band was famous in the early 1960s, during the revival of American Folk Music. The group was founded in California in 1954 and lasted until 1973, after a tragic accident of one member.
The Lonesome River Band
Founded in Virginia, America, in 1982, the Lonesome River Band is an American bluegrass band led by Sammy Shelor, who is a member of the Virginia Country Music Hall of Fame. He is also awarded five times by the International Bluegrass Music Association Banjo Player.
Since the beginning of the band, they had 15 record projects and several changes in members.
Hot Rize
Established in 1978, Hot Rize is one of the famous bluegrass bands in the early 80s seen on national radio and TV shows.
They had several successful tours around the US, Japan, Europe, and Australia before they disbanded in 1990.
Hot Rize also receive an award by the International Bluegrass Music Association, and a Grammy Nomination for their album Take It Home.
The Seldom Scene
The Seldom Scene is a bluegrass band that includes members who have different jobs during the day when they first started. A musical instrument repairer, math, an artist, a physician, and a cartographer.
During the 1970s, they became popular and famous with their progressive bluegrass style.
Although the band’s popularity required them to play frequently, they decided to maintain their public image as seldom seen.
Yonder Mountain String Band
Founded in Colorado, Yonder Mountain String Band is a recent bluegrass band since 1998 with five members.
The band gained fame and became famous after their performances at several music festivals in the States.
The Dillards
The Dillards is one of the most famous bluegrass bands known as the first group to electrify their musical instruments in the mid-60s. Their style is also considered to have an influence on many other later artists such as The Eagles, The Byrd, and Elton John.
Del McCoury Band
Del McCoury Band was known formerly as Del McCoury and the Dixie Pals. In 1988, they decided to drop the name the Dixie and maintained the band’s name as Del McCoury.
Over the decades, Del McCoury Band also went through several changes in its member before settling down its line-up in the 1980s.
So who is your best bluegrass band? I hope you found your favorite one on the list. And please leave us a comment if you think there is any missing. We would love to hear from you.
