Jim Mills
Best known for
Banjo
Jim Mills was one of the finest traditional-style banjo players and banjo historians of his generation — a six-time IBMA Banjo Player of the Year whose 14-year tenure with Ricky Skaggs's Kentucky Thunder anchored the band's Grammy-winning traditional bluegrass period, and whose pre-war Gibson Mastertone banjo expertise made him a central figure in banjo collecting and preservation.
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- Born James Robert Mills in Raleigh, North Carolina, youngest of three boys of John Wesley and Shirley Curran Mills.
- Started teaching himself banjo at age 12 in Earl Scruggs's three-finger style. Famously inserted a toothpick between his front teeth while practicing, hoping to give himself the same gap-toothed smile as Scruggs.
- Attended Mill Brook High School in Raleigh.
- After high school pursued bluegrass full-time with the group Summer Wages.
- Joined Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver in the late 1980s on banjo. Recorded four albums with Quicksilver during his five-year tenure including I Heard the Angels Singing (1989), My Heart is Yours (1990), Pressing On Regardless (1992), and Treasures Money Can't Buy (1992).
- Played with the Bass Mountain Boys between Quicksilver and Skaggs, appearing on Love of a Woman (1994).
- Joined Ricky Skaggs's Kentucky Thunder in the late 1990s. 14-year tenure through summer 2010. Appeared on nine Skaggs albums including Bluegrass Rules! (1997), Ancient Tones (1999), Soldier of the Cross (1999), History of the Future (2001), Live at the Charleston Music Hall (2003), Brand New Strings (2004), and Instrumentals (2006).
- Six-time IBMA Banjo Player of the Year (1999, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2005, 2006) — the most wins of any banjoist at the time.
- Won six Grammy Awards as a member of Kentucky Thunder.
- Solo albums: Bound to Ride (1998, IBMA Instrumental Album of the Year), My Dixie Home (2002), Hide Head Blues (2005).
- Played on Dolly Parton's Grammy-winning The Grass Is Blue (1999) and the nominated Little Sparrow (2001) — her bluegrass-inspired albums.
- Session work included Dan Tyminski's Carry Me Across the Mountain (2000), Alan Bibey's In the Blue Room (2000), and many others. Joined Vince Gill's 2012 bluegrass tour.
- Authored the reference book Gibson Mastertone: Flathead 5-String Banjos of the 1930s and 1940s (2009) — the definitive work on pre-war Gibson banjos. Remains the standard reference for collectors.
- Huber Banjos released a Jim Mills signature model based on the “Mack Crow” RB-75, a factory-made one-of-a-kind pre-war Gibson in Mills's collection.
- Retired from Kentucky Thunder in 2010 to focus on his pre-war Gibson banjo dealing business. Built a showroom in the basement of his Durham home with over a dozen pre-war Mastertones on display.
- Never moved to Nashville; Ricky Skaggs flew him to shows throughout his 14-year tenure.
- Died of a heart attack at his home in Durham, North Carolina on May 3, 2024, at age 57. Known throughout the bluegrass world as “Smilin'” Jim for his warm, infectious personality.
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Ricky Skaggs and Kentucky ThunderPlayed on recordings with Ricky Skaggs and Kentucky Thunder
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Dolly PartonPlayed on recordings with Dolly Parton
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Jim MillsPlayed on recordings with Jim Mills
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Peter RowanPlayed on recordings with Peter Rowan
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Dan TyminskiPlayed on recordings with Dan Tyminski
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Doyle Lawson and QuicksilverPlayed on recordings with Doyle Lawson and Quicksilver
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Alan BibeyPlayed on recording with Alan Bibey
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Earl ScruggsPlayed on recording with Earl Scruggs
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Rhonda VincentPlayed on recording with Rhonda Vincent
