Rob Ickes
Best known for
Dobro
Rob Ickes is widely regarded as the most-awarded instrumentalist in bluegrass history and one of the dobro’s most innovative voices. A founding member of Blue Highway, he was named IBMA Dobro Player of the Year fifteen times by 2013 and has won 39 IBMA awards in total across several categories.
- Born May 26, 1967, in San Francisco, California; moved to Nashville in 1992.
- Co-founded Blue Highway in 1994 and anchored the band’s dobro chair for 21 years before stepping away in 2015.
- Named IBMA Dobro Player of the Year fifteen times through 2013; 39 IBMA wins in total across multiple categories.
- Contributed to two 1996 Grammy-winning records: Alison Krauss & the Cox Family’s I Know Who Holds Tomorrow and the Jerry Douglas-produced The Great Dobro Sessions.
- Won a 2025 Grammy for a collaborative album with Taj Mahal.
- Has recorded four albums with guitarist Trey Hensley for Compass Records: Before the Sun Goes Down (2014), The Country Blues (2016), World Full of Blues (2019), and Living in a Song (2023).
- Runs the ResoRevolution teaching network and the annual Rob Ickes Slide Fest resonator-guitar camp.
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Blue HighwayPlayed on recordings with Blue Highway
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Patty LovelessPlayed on recordings with Patty Loveless
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Rob Ickes and Trey HensleyPlayed on recordings with Rob Ickes and Trey Hensley
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Donna UlissePlayed on recordings with Donna Ulisse
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Earl Scruggs, Doc Watson and Ricky SkaggsPlayed on recordings with Earl Scruggs, Doc Watson and Ricky Skaggs
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John BowmanPlayed on recordings with John Bowman
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Rob IckesPlayed on recordings with Rob Ickes
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Shawn LanePlayed on recordings with Shawn Lane
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Wyatt Rice and Dan Menzone AlliancePlayed on recordings with Wyatt Rice and Dan Menzone Alliance
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Alan JacksonPlayed on recording with Alan Jackson
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Alison Krauss and the Cox FamilyPlayed on recording with Alison Krauss and the Cox Family
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Bryan SuttonPlayed on recording with Bryan Sutton
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CherryholmesPlayed on recording with Cherryholmes
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Chris Thile and Michael DavesPlayed on recording with Chris Thile and Michael Daves
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Larry CordlePlayed on recording with Larry Cordle
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Michael ClevelandPlayed on recording with Michael Cleveland
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Mike Auldridge, Jerry Douglas and Rob IckesPlayed on recording with Mike Auldridge, Jerry Douglas and Rob Ickes
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Special ConsensusPlayed on recording with Special Consensus
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The Little GrasscalsPlayed on recording with The Little Grasscals
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The Purple HullsPlayed on recording with The Purple Hulls
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The Rarely HerdPlayed on recording with The Rarely Herd
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Willie NelsonPlayed on recording with Willie Nelson