Bobby Slone
Musician · 1936–2013 · Pike County, Kentucky
Best known for
Bass
Bobby Slone was the longest-serving sideman in J.D. Crowe's bands — 24 years as bassist and occasional fiddler across the Kentucky Mountain Boys and the New South, including the landmark 1975 classic lineup with Tony Rice, Ricky Skaggs, and Jerry Douglas. A left-handed Kentucky-born multi-instrumentalist, his steady bass work anchored one of the most influential bands in modern bluegrass.
- Born Robert Slone in Pike County, Kentucky in far southeastern Kentucky's coal country.
- Left-handed; taught himself guitar playing it upside down, then moved to fiddle.
- At age 13, joined the Kentucky Ramblers on WLSI radio in Pikeville. Then moved to Bristol, Virginia to play with Buster Pack and the Lonesome Pine Boys on WCYB's Farm and Fun Time.
- Spent several years in Chicago playing country music and western swing in the 1950s. Moved to California and joined the Golden State Boys (also home to Vern and Rex Gosdin and Don Parmley).
- Returned to Kentucky and began playing with J.D. Crowe in summer 1964 — initially as fiddler, working gigs at Martin's Place and the Red Slipper Lounge in Lexington.
- Member of J.D. Crowe and the Kentucky Mountain Boys — a precursor to the New South — from the mid-1960s. Recorded three LPs for Lemco: Bluegrass Holiday, Ramblin' Boy (also titled Blackjack), and The Model Church.
- When Crowe changed the band's name to the New South in 1971, Slone stayed on. Appeared on Bluegrass Evolution (1974), the experimental album featuring electric instruments and pedal steel.
- Played on the landmark 1975 album J.D. Crowe and the New South (Rounder 0044) alongside Tony Rice, Ricky Skaggs, Jerry Douglas, and Crowe — one of the most important bluegrass recordings ever made.
- Toured Japan with the New South in 1975 and 1979, playing both bass and fiddle on those trips.
- 24-year tenure with J.D. Crowe — the longest of any Crowe sideman. Also contributed session work to Tony Rice's 1977 Rounder debut Tony Rice.
- Died in August 2013 of rectal cancer at age 77.
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J.D. Crowe and the New SouthPlayed on recordings with J.D. Crowe and the New South
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J.D. Crowe and the Kentucky Mountain BoysPlayed on recordings with J.D. Crowe and the Kentucky Mountain Boys
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Tony RicePlayed on recordings with Tony Rice
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Red Allen and the KentuckiansPlayed on recording with Red Allen and the Kentuckians
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The Kentucky ColonelsPlayed on recording with The Kentucky Colonels