Dempsey Young
Musician · 1954–2006 · Boones Mill, Virginia
Best known for
Mandolin
Dempsey Young was a Virginia-born mandolinist and baritone singer who co-founded Lost & Found with Allen Mills in 1973 and remained the band's mandolin voice for thirty-three years — cited by Ronnie McCoury and Adam Steffey as a formative mandolin influence.
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- Full name Edward Dempsey Young Jr.; born July 1, 1954 in Virginia and died December 10, 2006 at age 52.
- Co-founded the Lost & Found bluegrass band with Allen Mills in 1973; remained with the band for roughly 33 years until his death.
- Played mandolin and sang baritone harmony in Lost & Found; also sang lead on tracks such as "A Daisy a Day."
- Inducted into the Virginia Folk Music Hall of Fame in 2005.
- Cited by Ronnie McCoury and Adam Steffey as a formative mandolin influence (Steffey credits seeing Young at the Carter Family Fold around 1979).
- Known for a swing-influenced mandolin style; participated in "round robin" instrumentals like "Old Joe Clark" in live shows.
- Featured on more than half the tracks of Lost & Found's "Love, Lost and Found" album (recorded 2003, released after his death).
