Phil Leadbetter
Best known for
Dobro
Phil Leadbetter was a Tennessee-born dobroist whose tenures with J.D. Crowe and the New South, Wildfire, Grasstowne, and his own Phil Leadbetter & the All-Stars of Bluegrass made him one of the most decorated dobro players of his generation — a multi-time IBMA Resophonic Guitar Player of the Year and five-time cancer survivor known to the bluegrass community as "Uncle Phil."
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- Born March 31, 1962 in Knoxville, Tennessee; began playing resonator guitar at age 12.
- Founding member of the Knoxville Newgrass Boys in 1975 — at the time among the youngest bluegrass bands in the U.S.
- Member of J.D. Crowe and the New South 1993–2001; Grammy nomination (Best Bluegrass Album, 1994) for "Flashback."
- Founded Wildfire in 2000 (with Crowe alumni); stayed until 2006.
- Founding member of Grasstowne (2006–2010) with Steve Gulley and Alan Bibey.
- IBMA Resophonic Guitar Player of the Year multiple times (2005, 2014, 2019); two-time SPBGMA Dobro Player of the Year.
- Five-time cancer survivor; widely known in the bluegrass community as "Uncle Phil."
- Died October 14, 2021 at age 59 from COVID-19 complications; later projects included Flashback, Dale Ann Bradley Band, and Phil Leadbetter & the All-Stars of Bluegrass.
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J.D. Crowe and the New SouthPlayed on recordings with J.D. Crowe and the New South
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WildfirePlayed on recordings with Wildfire
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Dale Ann BradleyPlayed on recording with Dale Ann Bradley
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Doyle Lawson and QuicksilverPlayed on recording with Doyle Lawson and Quicksilver
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Phil LeadbetterPlayed on recording with Phil Leadbetter
