Ernie Sykes

Musician · 1960–2025 · Long Island, New York
Best known for Bass

Ernie Sykes was a Long Island-born bassist whose decade-plus tenures with The Bluegrass Cardinals (from 1978) and seat in Bill Monroe's final Blue Grass Boys lineup (November 1995–1996) made him a bridge between two eras of bluegrass — later a Tennessee Mafia Jug Band fixture and 1999 Grammy honoree.

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  • Born Ernest C. Sykes Jr. on November 13, 1960 on Long Island, New York; died March 5, 2025 in Nashville, Tennessee at age 64.
  • Began playing bass and vocals professionally in his father's band, The Sykes Boys, at age 17.
  • Joined The Bluegrass Cardinals in 1978 — pivotal entry into the national bluegrass scene.
  • Took over as bassist for Bill Monroe & the Blue Grass Boys in November 1995, in what became the final lineup of the band before Monroe's 1996 death.
  • Sideman credits include The Osborne Brothers, Jimmy Martin, Don Reno & The Reno Brothers, Eddie & Martha Adcock, Rhonda Vincent & The Rage, Livewire, and The Sidemen.
  • Longtime member of Nashville's Tennessee Mafia Jug Band with Leroy Troy and Mike & Lester Armistead.
  • Received a 1999 Grammy citation for work with Marty Stuart and Earl Scruggs.
  • Featured on "Southern Flavor," which won IBMA Recorded Event of the Year in 2015 (with Becky Buller, Peter Rowan, Buddy Spicher, Roland White, Blake Williams).

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