Tommy Sells
Best known for
Mandolin
Tommy Sells is a Virginia mandolinist and emcee who, with wife Teresa, co-founded Big Country Bluegrass in 1987 — a Crooked Road regular whose straight-ahead, hard-edged Galax-style sound has been documented across ten-plus albums on Hay Holler, Rebel, and Mountain Roads Recordings.
- Co-founded Big Country Bluegrass with his wife Teresa Sells in 1987 (late 1980s).
- Plays mandolin and drives the band, also handling most of the emcee work onstage.
- Lives near Mouth of Wilson, Virginia, in the Galax/Mount Airy traditional bluegrass region along the VA/NC border.
- Band signed to Hay Holler Records in 1997; later moved to Rebel Records and Mountain Roads Recordings.
- Big Country Bluegrass is known for a "Galax-style" or "Mount Airy-style," straight-ahead, hard-edged traditional sound.
- The group has released ten-plus albums and is featured on the Crooked Road Music Trail, performing at venues like the Carter Fold and FloydFest.
- Tommy is an active song-finder for the band, known for unearthing both older and newer traditional material.