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Jim and Jesse and the Virginia Boys

Jim and Jesse and the Virginia Boys

Band · Active 1953–present · Gallatin, Tennessee · jimandjesse.com
Traditional Bluegrass

Jim and Jesse and the Virginia Boys held the record for the longest active professional brother duet in country music history — 55 years of unbroken partnership between Jim McReynolds and his younger brother Jesse. Their tight, smooth harmonies and Jesse's innovative mandolin cross-picking style gave them one of the most distinctive sounds in bluegrass, and their willingness to stretch toward country music gave them crossover success that most traditional bluegrass acts never found.

  • Jim McReynolds (February 13, 1927 – December 31, 2002) on guitar and tenor vocals and Jesse McReynolds (July 9, 1929 – June 23, 2023) on mandolin and lead vocals, raised in Carfax, a community near Coeburn in southwestern Virginia.
  • Grandsons of fiddler Charles McReynolds, who recorded with the Bull Mountain Moonshiners at the historic 1927 Bristol Sessions.
  • Began performing professionally in 1947 as the McReynolds Brothers and the Cumberland Mountain Boys on WNVA radio in Norton, Virginia; signed to Capitol Records in 1952 and renamed Jim and Jesse and the Virginia Boys at label request.
  • Jesse developed his signature mandolin cross-picking technique in the early 1950s — a syncopated, banjo-like roll that was widely imitated but seldom mastered.
  • Joined the Grand Ole Opry on August 8, 1964, and remained members for 38 years; Jesse carried on the membership until his death in 2023, eventually becoming the oldest standing Opry member.
  • Built a signature repertoire including "Are You Missing Me," "Cotton Mill Man," "Diesel on My Tail," "Paradise," and a full album of Chuck Berry songs (Berry Pickin' in the Country, 1965).
  • Recorded for Capitol, Columbia, Epic, and their own Old Dominion and Double J labels; appeared on a nationally syndicated television show through the mid-1970s.
  • Inducted into the International Bluegrass Music Association Hall of Honor in 1993; received the National Heritage Fellowship from the NEA in 1997, presented at the White House.
  • Jim died on December 31, 2002, of cancer — twelve days after his wife Arreta's death from a heart attack — ending the partnership at 55 years.
  • Jesse carried on the Jim and Jesse tradition with the Virginia Boys, touring and recording until his death at age 93 in 2023.
  • Jesse McReynolds
    Played on recordings with Jim and Jesse and the Virginia Boys
  • Jim McReynolds
    Played on recordings with Jim and Jesse and the Virginia Boys
  • Allen Shelton
    Played on recordings with Jim and Jesse and the Virginia Boys
  • Jimmy Brock
    Played on recordings with Jim and Jesse and the Virginia Boys
  • Keith McReynolds
    Played on recordings with Jim and Jesse and the Virginia Boys
  • Junior Huskey
    Played on recordings with Jim and Jesse and the Virginia Boys
  • Don McHan
    Played on recordings with Jim and Jesse and the Virginia Boys
  • Jim Buchanan
    Played on recordings with Jim and Jesse and the Virginia Boys
  • Floyd "Lightning" Chance
    Played on recordings with Jim and Jesse and the Virginia Boys
  • Vic Jordan
    Played on recordings with Jim and Jesse and the Virginia Boys
  • Carl Jackson
    Played on recordings with Jim and Jesse and the Virginia Boys
  • Ray Edenton
    Played on recordings with Jim and Jesse and the Virginia Boys
  • Joe Meadows
    Played on recordings with Jim and Jesse and the Virginia Boys
  • Raymond McLain
    Played on recordings with Jim and Jesse and the Virginia Boys
  • David Sutherland
    Played on recordings with Jim and Jesse and the Virginia Boys
  • Bobby Thompson
    Played on recordings with Jim and Jesse and the Virginia Boys
  • Glen Duncan
    Played on recordings with Jim and Jesse and the Virginia Boys
  • Charlie Collins
    Played on recordings with Jim and Jesse and the Virginia Boys
  • Garland Shuping
    Played on recordings with Jim and Jesse and the Virginia Boys
  • Michael McLain
    Played on recordings with Jim and Jesse and the Virginia Boys
  • Roy Huskey Jr.
    Played on recordings with Jim and Jesse and the Virginia Boys
  • Tim Ellis
    Played on recordings with Jim and Jesse and the Virginia Boys
  • Bob Moore
    Played on recordings with Jim and Jesse and the Virginia Boys
  • Chip Young
    Played on recordings with Jim and Jesse and the Virginia Boys
  • Hoke Jenkins
    Played on recordings with Jim and Jesse and the Virginia Boys
  • John Ray "Curly" Seckler
    Played on recordings with Jim and Jesse and the Virginia Boys
  • Mike Drudge
    Played on recordings with Jim and Jesse and the Virginia Boys
  • Mike Scott
    Played on recordings with Jim and Jesse and the Virginia Boys
  • Sonny James
    Played on recordings with Jim and Jesse and the Virginia Boys
  • Steve Thomas
    Played on recordings with Jim and Jesse and the Virginia Boys
  • Vassar Clements
    Played on recordings with Jim and Jesse and the Virginia Boys
  • Weldon Myrick
    Played on recordings with Jim and Jesse and the Virginia Boys
  • Dave Woolum
    Played on recordings with Jim and Jesse and the Virginia Boys
  • Grady Martin
    Played on recordings with Jim and Jesse and the Virginia Boys
  • Jimmy Campbell
    Played on recordings with Jim and Jesse and the Virginia Boys
  • Joe Stuart
    Played on recordings with Jim and Jesse and the Virginia Boys
  • Larry Roll
    Played on recordings with Jim and Jesse and the Virginia Boys
  • Mark Schatz
    Played on recordings with Jim and Jesse and the Virginia Boys
  • Terry Smith
    Played on recordings with Jim and Jesse and the Virginia Boys
  • Bill Monroe
    Played on recording with Jim and Jesse and the Virginia Boys
  • Bobby Spicher
    Played on recording with Jim and Jesse and the Virginia Boys
  • Carol Johnson
    Played on recording with Jim and Jesse and the Virginia Boys
  • Cates Sisters
    Played on recording with Jim and Jesse and the Virginia Boys
  • Dave Shipley
    Played on recording with Jim and Jesse and the Virginia Boys
  • Don Smith
    Played on recording with Jim and Jesse and the Virginia Boys
  • Jerry Douglas
    Played on recording with Jim and Jesse and the Virginia Boys
  • Lloyd Green
    Played on recording with Jim and Jesse and the Virginia Boys
  • Monroe Fields
    Played on recording with Jim and Jesse and the Virginia Boys
  • Ricky Skaggs
    Played on recording with Jim and Jesse and the Virginia Boys
  • Scott Blevins
    Played on recording with Jim and Jesse and the Virginia Boys
  • Tony Rice
    Played on recording with Jim and Jesse and the Virginia Boys

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