The Del McCoury Band
Contemporary Bluegrass
Traditional Bluegrass
The Del McCoury Band is the premier family band in traditional bluegrass — a Grammy-winning group led by Del McCoury with his sons Ronnie (mandolin) and Rob (banjo), carrying the hard-driving, high-lonesome sound of Bill Monroe into the 21st century. Their unbroken string of IBMA awards, extensive cross-genre collaborations, and annual DelFest festival have made them one of the most visible and beloved bluegrass acts of the last four decades.
- Del McCoury (born Delano Floyd McCoury, February 1, 1939, in Bakersville, North Carolina, raised in York County, Pennsylvania) led his band the Dixie Pals from 1967 through the late 1980s.
- Before starting his own band, Del famously joined Bill Monroe's Blue Grass Boys in February 1963 — Monroe moved him from banjo to guitar and anointed him lead singer, giving him direct apprenticeship from the Father of Bluegrass himself.
- Son Ronnie McCoury (born March 16, 1967) joined the Dixie Pals at age 14 in 1981 on mandolin; younger brother Rob McCoury (born April 30, 1971) came on board on banjo five years later in 1986.
- Renamed the Del McCoury Band in 1988, dropping the "Dixie Pals" moniker; moved the family to Nashville in 1992.
- Fiddler Jason Carter and bassist Mike Bub joined in 1992, creating a lineup that remained unchanged for 13 years; Alan Bartram replaced Bub in 2005, and Carter left in early 2025 to pursue a solo career.
- Won IBMA Entertainer of the Year nine times in an eleven-year stretch beginning in 1994 — the most dominant run in bluegrass history.
- Del won Male Vocalist of the Year in three consecutive years in the early 1990s; Ronnie won Mandolin Player of the Year eight straight years; Jason Carter won Fiddle Player of the Year three times.
- Inducted into the International Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame in 2011; became a member of the Grand Ole Opry in 2003.
- Del received the National Heritage Fellowship from the NEA in 2010, the United States' highest honor in folk and traditional arts.
- Expanded bluegrass audiences through cross-genre collaborations, including extensive performances with Phish and Steve Earle, recording sessions with Preservation Hall Jazz Band (American Legacies, 2011), and appearances at Bonnaroo, Hardly Strictly Bluegrass, and Telluride.
- Founded DelFest in 2008 in Cumberland, Maryland — a multi-day Memorial Day weekend festival showcasing traditional bluegrass alongside Americana, jamband, and roots music, with Del and his band playing every night of every edition.
- Recent Grammy-nominated albums include Almost Proud (2021) and the 2024 release Songs of Love and Life; latest project Del McCoury Still Sings Bluegrass echoes Del's 1968 debut album title.
- Ronnie and Rob also lead their own offshoot band, The Travelin' McCourys, featuring all Del McCoury Band members except Del.
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1952 Vincent Black LightningDel and the Boys (2001)
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Beauty of My DreamsBlue Side of Town (1992)
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Count Me OutDel and the Boys (2001)
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Dark HollowCelebrating 50 Years of Del McCoury (2009)
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DreamsCelebrating 50 Years of Del McCoury (2009)
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Dry My Tears and Move OnIt's Just the Night (2003)
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Evil Hearted WomanCelebrating 50 Years of Del McCoury (2009)
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High on a MountainBlue Side of Town (1992)
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I Feel the Blues Moving InDon't Stop The Music (1990)
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LorenaDivided and United: The Songs of the Civil War (2013)
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Nashville CatsThe Family (1999)
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Rain and SnowLivin' On The Mountain (1992)
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Sweet AppalachiaFamily Circle (2009)
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The Times They Are A-Changin'Song of America (2007)
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You'll Find Her Name Written ThereDon't Stop the Music (1990)
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I'll Fly AwayThe Del McCoury Band · American Legacies: The Preservation Hall Jazz Band and the Del McCoury Band (2011)
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Del McCouryPlayed on recordings with The Del McCoury Band
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Ronnie McCouryPlayed on recordings with The Del McCoury Band
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Rob McCouryPlayed on recordings with The Del McCoury Band
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Jason CarterPlayed on recordings with The Del McCoury Band
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Alan BartramPlayed on recordings with The Del McCoury Band
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Jerry DouglasPlayed on recordings with The Del McCoury Band
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Mike BubPlayed on recordings with The Del McCoury Band
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Stuart DuncanPlayed on recordings with The Del McCoury Band
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Craig SmithPlayed on recordings with The Del McCoury Band
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Jerry McCouryPlayed on recordings with The Del McCoury Band
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Jon GlikPlayed on recordings with The Del McCoury Band
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Mike BrantleyPlayed on recordings with The Del McCoury Band
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Todd PhillipsPlayed on recordings with The Del McCoury Band
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Vassar ClementsPlayed on recordings with The Del McCoury Band
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Warren BlairPlayed on recordings with The Del McCoury Band
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Buddy SpicherPlayed on recording with The Del McCoury Band
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Dewey RenfroPlayed on recording with The Del McCoury Band
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Dick StaberPlayed on recording with The Del McCoury Band
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Jim BuchananPlayed on recording with The Del McCoury Band
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John FarmerPlayed on recording with The Del McCoury Band
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Tad MarksPlayed on recording with The Del McCoury Band