Jim Buchanan
Best known for
Fiddle
Jim Buchanan was a masterful fiddler whose work with Jim & Jesse and the Virginia Boys in the mid-1960s — particularly on the landmark Epic albums Bluegrass Special (1963) and Bluegrass Classics (1964) — stands as textbook material still studied by bluegrass fiddlers today. After his bluegrass years, he moved into the top ranks of Nashville country and session players, touring and recording with Mel Tillis, George Jones, and many others, and cutting sessions for artists ranging from Dolly Parton and Ringo Starr to The Doors. An ordained minister late in life, he was equally comfortable across multiple genres of American music.
- Born James Delbert Buchanan on January 1, 1941, and raised in Drexel, a small town in the western North Carolina foothills near Morganton. Son of old-time fiddler Clato “Buck” Buchanan, who played tenor banjo with Roy Hall & His Blue Ridge Entertainers in Roanoke in the 1930s. Buck taught his son to play fiddle.
- Early influences included Benny Martin and Howdy Forrester. In his youth, Jim performed alongside his father before honing his skills with Joe Franklin & the Mimosa Boys on weekends and with Kathryn Siphers at Drexel High School during the week. At age 12, he appeared on the Ed Sullivan Show as drummer with Franklin.
- Relocated to Nashville to pursue a career in music. Joined Jim & Jesse and the Virginia Boys in the early 1960s, taking over the fiddle chair shortly after Vassar Clements’s departure.
- Anchored the classic Epic-era Virginia Boys lineup with Allen Shelton (banjo), Junior Huskey (studio bass), and Don McHan (guitar, vocals), recording Bluegrass Special (released February 26, 1963) and Bluegrass Classics (1964). His solo on “Standing on the Mountain” and the lonesome fiddle answers to Jim & Jesse’s vocals on “Drifting and Dreaming” are widely regarded as classics of bluegrass fiddle.
- Played the Newport Folk Festival with Jim & Jesse. In 1965, on Arthur “Guitar Boogie” Smith’s invitation, played fiddle on Don Reno’s Mr. Five String album.
- Also a member of the Greenbriar Boys (with Frank Wakefield, John Herald, and Bob Yellin) in New York, recording a couple of albums with them. Subsequently worked on the road with Tompall & the Glaser Brothers, Mel Tillis & the Statesiders (from 1970), and George Jones.
- As a Nashville studio musician, his credits include sessions for Dolly Parton, Waylon Jennings, Ronnie Milsap, Barbara Mandrell, Ringo Starr (Beaucoups of Blues), The Doors (The Soft Parade), Dan Fogelberg (High Country Snows), and many others.
- In 1982 recorded on Here Today, a landmark new-acoustic album with Vince Gill (guitar), Herb Pederson (banjo), Emory Gordy Jr. (bass), and David Grisman (mandolin).
- In 1992 played on Bluegrass Reunion (Acoustic Disc) with Red Allen, David Grisman, Herb Pederson, and Jerry Garcia, earning a Grammy nomination.
- In 1995 formed his own band, The Jim Buchanan System, and released one album under that name. Returned frequently to the Virginia Boys as an occasional fiddler through the 1980s, 1990s, and 2000s. Attended seminary in Clarksville while working for Mel Tillis in the 1970s — he was an ordained minister who married fellow Jim & Jesse fiddler Jeremy Stephens to his wife Corrina in 2014.
- Died peacefully in his sleep on March 5, 2026 in Nashville at age 85 after a period of declining health. Buried at Burke Memorial Park Cemetery in Morganton, NC on March 14, 2026. A celebration of his life was held April 11, 2026 at Oak Valley Baptist Church in Franklin, Tennessee.
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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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David GrismanPlayed on recordings with David Grisman
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The Osborne BrothersPlayed on recordings with The Osborne Brothers
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Bluegrass ReunionPlayed on recordings with Bluegrass Reunion
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Del McCoury and the Dixie PalsPlayed on recordings with Del McCoury and the Dixie Pals
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Bill EmersonPlayed on recording with Bill Emerson
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Don Reno, Bill Harrell and the Tennessee Cut-UpsPlayed on recording with Don Reno, Bill Harrell and the Tennessee Cut-Ups
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Hazel DickensPlayed on recording with Hazel Dickens
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Joe Val and the New England Bluegrass BoysPlayed on recording with Joe Val and the New England Bluegrass Boys
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Mac WisemanPlayed on recording with Mac Wiseman
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The Del McCoury BandPlayed on recording with The Del McCoury Band
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The McPeak BrothersPlayed on recording with The McPeak Brothers