The Del McCoury Band

Band · Active 1988–present · Nashville, Tennessee · delmccouryband.com
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.

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  • 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.
  • Del McCoury
    Played on recordings with The Del McCoury Band
  • Ronnie McCoury
    Played on recordings with The Del McCoury Band
  • Rob McCoury
    Played on recordings with The Del McCoury Band
  • Jason Carter
    Played on recordings with The Del McCoury Band
  • Alan Bartram
    Played on recordings with The Del McCoury Band
  • Jerry Douglas
    Played on recordings with The Del McCoury Band
  • Mike Bub
    Played on recordings with The Del McCoury Band
  • Stuart Duncan
    Played on recordings with The Del McCoury Band
  • Chris Carr
    Played on recordings with The Del McCoury Band
  • Jerry McCoury
    Played on recordings with The Del McCoury Band
  • Jon Glik
    Played on recordings with The Del McCoury Band
  • Mike Brantley
    Played on recordings with The Del McCoury Band
  • Todd Phillips
    Played on recordings with The Del McCoury Band
  • Vassar Clements
    Played on recordings with The Del McCoury Band
  • Warren Blair
    Played on recordings with The Del McCoury Band
  • Buddy Spicher
    Played on recording with The Del McCoury Band
  • Dewey Renfro
    Played on recording with The Del McCoury Band
  • Dick Staber
    Played on recording with The Del McCoury Band
  • Jim Buchanan
    Played on recording with The Del McCoury Band
  • John Farmer
    Played on recording with The Del McCoury Band
  • Tad Marks
    Played on recording with The Del McCoury Band

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