Lou Reid

Musician · b. 1954 · North Carolina · Also a recording artist
Best known for Mandolin Guitar Lead Vocals Harmony Vocals

Lou Reid (born Louis Reid Pyrtle) is one of the most recognizable voices in bluegrass music — a veteran vocalist and multi-instrumentalist whose two stints with the Seldom Scene (since 1986 combined) and previous tenures with Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver (founding member, 1979) and Ricky Skaggs's band (1982–86) have made him one of the most recorded traditional bluegrass performers of his generation.

Assisted by AI. Spot something off? Help us fix it.
  • Born Louis Reid Pyrtle on September 13, 1954, in Moore Springs/Union Grove, North Carolina. Grew up on a tobacco farm.
  • Started on acoustic bass in his early teens playing with the Bluegrass Buddies.
  • Played banjo, fiddle, and sang with Southbound, an Atlanta-based progressive bluegrass band, 1973–1979. Recorded the 1977 Rebel album Southbound credited as Louis Pyrtle.
  • Founding member of Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver in 1979 on bass alongside Terry Baucom and Jimmy Haley. Recorded three influential albums: Doyle Lawson and Quicksilver (1979), Rock My Soul (1981), and Quicksilver Rides Again (1983).
  • Member of Ricky Skaggs's band 1982–1986 during Skaggs's mainstream country-chart peak. Played banjo, mandolin, guitar, and sang harmony on Skaggs's #1 hits including “I'm Just a Country Boy” (the first #1 country hit to feature banjo).
  • Joined the Seldom Scene in June 1986 as lead singer and guitarist, replacing Phil Rosenthal. Stayed through 1991/1993.
  • Formed Lou Reid, Terry Baucom & Carolina in 1992. Won IBMA Emerging Artist of the Year in 1994. Carolina Moon (1995) was nominated for IBMA Album of the Year.
  • Briefly toured with Vince Gill and Vern Gosdin in the mid-1990s before rejoining the Seldom Scene in 1996 after John Duffey's death — this time on mandolin, replacing Duffey. Has been a Seldom Scene mainstay ever since.
  • Recorded with Longview on Deep in the Mountains (2008) alongside J.D. Crowe, Don Rigsby, James King, Marshall Wilborn, and Ron Stewart.
  • Continues to lead Lou Reid and Carolina while performing with the Seldom Scene.
  • Married singer Christy Reid (who joined Carolina first as a bass player in 2001). They have two daughters.
  • Inducted into the International Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame in 2014 as a member of the Seldom Scene (historical lineup).

Roulette Settings

Calculating…
Popularity
Type
Genres
Bluegrass
Folk
Country
Old-Time
Other
Popularity
Difficulty
Type
Key
Featured Instruments
Origin

Share Playlist