Jesse McReynolds
Best known for
Mandolin
Jesse McReynolds was one of the most distinctive mandolin stylists in bluegrass history — inventor of a cross-picking technique (sometimes called “McReynolds-style”) that adapted Earl Scruggs-style banjo rolls to the mandolin, producing a flowing melodic sound unlike any other mandolinist's. For 70 years as half of Jim and Jesse and the Virginia Boys, he and older brother Jim were one of the most tightly harmonized brother duos in bluegrass, and after Jim's 2002 death he continued leading the band until his own passing in 2023.
- Born in Carfax, Virginia, near Coeburn in the southwest corner of the state. Grandfather Charles McReynolds was the fiddler on the Bristol Sessions (1927) that launched the Carter Family and Jimmie Rodgers.
- Older brother Jim McReynolds (February 13, 1927 – December 31, 2002) played guitar and sang lead tenor; Jesse played mandolin and sang baritone. The brothers began performing as teenagers in the 1940s.
- First recorded 1952 for Capitol Records in Kentucky as the Virginia Trio with Larry Roll — under the pseudonym “Jim and Jesse and the Virginia Boys” (the Capitol brass didn't want the first names “Jim and Jesse” confused with the McReynolds brothers from Missouri).
- Developed the distinctive cross-picking mandolin technique in the early 1950s — using forward and reverse rolls with a flatpick to create flowing melodic patterns on the mandolin previously heard only on banjo. The approach became a defining feature of the Jim and Jesse sound and reshaped what the mandolin could do as a lead instrument.
- Drafted into the U.S. Army in 1953; served in Korea. Returned home in 1954 and resumed recording with Jim, moving through Capitol, Starday, and Epic labels.
- Joined the Grand Ole Opry as a duo on March 3, 1964. Remained Opry members for 59 years; at the time of Jesse's death he was the oldest standing Opry member.
- Jim and Jesse's 1960s hits included “Cotton Mill Man,” “Diesel on My Tail,” and “Ballad of Thunder Road.” Their 1965 Epic album Berry Pickin' in the Country — an all-Chuck Berry bluegrass tribute — became a cult classic.
- Continued recording and touring steadily through the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s. The band was also a key training ground for future bluegrass professionals.
- Jim died of cancer on December 31, 2002. Jesse continued to lead the Virginia Boys on his own, with his son Randy McReynolds and grandson Garrett McReynolds joining the band.
- Late-career project Songs of the Grateful Dead: A Tribute to Jerry Garcia (2010) applied his cross-picking to Grateful Dead songs — unexpectedly well-received by both bluegrass and jam-band fans. Collaborations followed with David Nelson, Robert Hunter, and members of the New Riders of the Purple Sage.
- Inducted into the International Bluegrass Music Hall of Honor with Jim in 1993.
- Continued performing into his 90s. Died on June 23, 2023 in Gallatin, Tennessee at age 93 — four days before fellow Grand Ole Opry member Bobby Osborne — marking the end of an era for the first generation of bluegrass.
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On the Jericho RoadJim and Jesse and the Virginia Boys · Early Recordings of Jim and Jesse McReynolds With Larry Roll (1979)
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Jim and Jesse and the Virginia BoysPlayed on recordings with Jim and Jesse and the Virginia Boys
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Mac WisemanPlayed on recordings with Mac Wiseman
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Jesse McReynoldsPlayed on recordings with Jesse McReynolds
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Bill Monroe and His Bluegrass BoysPlayed on recording with Bill Monroe and His Bluegrass Boys
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Eddie Adcock with Jim and JessePlayed on recording with Eddie Adcock with Jim and Jesse
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The MastersPlayed on recording with The Masters