Allen Mills
Musician · b. 1937 · Charity, Virginia
Best known for
Bass
Allen Mills is a Virginia-born bassist, lead singer, and songwriter whose Lost & Found has been a fixture of traditional bluegrass since 1973 — composer of "Love of the Mountains" and "Wild Mountain Flowers For Mary," and one of the founding figures of the IBMA itself.
Assisted by AI.
Spot something off? Help us fix it.
- From Charity, Virginia — "a spot right where Patrick, Franklin and Floyd Counties come together in a peak."
- Has played upright bass since 1959; early recordings with the Easter Brothers and the Green Valley Quartet, plus a country group called the T-Birds.
- Founded Lost & Found in October 1973 with Gene Parker (banjo), Roger Handy (guitar), and Dempsey Young (mandolin); has been bassist, lead vocalist, and bandleader continuously since.
- Coined the band name from the line: "At the time we started this band, all of us were lost in other bands; but we found each other through a mutual love for bluegrass music."
- Wrote "Love of the Mountains," a contemporary bluegrass standard recorded by the original lineup.
- Wrote "Wild Mountain Flowers For Mary," notably recorded by Larry Sparks.
- Lost & Found began recording on Outlet (1976) and signed to Rebel Records in 1980.
- Among the founding members of the International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA), present at the first organizational meetings in 1985.