Welcome to Bluegrass Bios on the Web

• To find an artist, click on the letter of the alphabet above this window and scroll to the artist you are looking for.
• To access the Bluegrass Calendar, click the month on the left panel.
• To get programming suggestions for holidays and other special occasions, click the holidays listed at the bottom of the left panel.
• If you find errors or wish to make a suggestion, please email me.

About Bluegrass Bios

This web site contains short profiles of nationally-known bluegrass artists and bands. I wrote this material for bluegrass radio announcers like myself who want to at least sound knowledgeable about bluegrass music.

I also wrote it because I love bluegrass. Ever since that fateful day when I first heard the Dillards in 1964, I have been an ardent fan of bluegrass music and even learned how to perform it. In the early 70's, I was part of a group called “Brush Arbor” and I continue to play banjo with a local San Diego bluegrass band called Lighthouse.

In addition, for the past thirty-one years I have hosted a weekly radio program called "The Bluegrass Special." It is heard every Sunday on San Diego's top country radio station, KSON (97.3 and 92.1 FM). One of the goals of my radio program is to educate listeners about bluegrass music as well as to entertain them. Since we are a long way from the bluegrass heartland, people on the west coast are not always familiar with the music and the musicians.

I have also discovered that most country-music DJ's are relatively unfamiliar with bluegrass as well. Even though they enjoy the music, they rarely have the opportunity to learn about the music—the history of it, who the artists are and where they came from. As a result, many are reluctant to play it on the air.

Hopefully this web site will help in that regard. It is not meant to be a complete history of bluegrass, nor a thorough biography of every bluegrass artist. It is a collection of tidbits which I hope others can use to provide radio listeners with some basic information about most of the people behind the music they are hearing.

While I am offering disclaimers, here's a couple more. This material was not extensively researched. While I do know many of the artists personally and have interviewed many of them, most the information in this book is second-hand, gleaned rather hap-hazardly over the years from magazine articles, album liner notes and the like.

This web site will change frequently. It is in process. I will continue to update and correct material on a regular basis. Please excuse any errors that are undoubtedly present. If you notice any, I'd appreciate hearing from you.

I would also like to apologize to all those artists who are not included in these pages. I know there are many who deserve to be included but aren't. I compiled this material primarily on the basis of recordings which have made their way into my radio program’s music library. Unfortunately, I don't get everything that comes out. I have also limited entries (generally) to national rather than regional artists.

I hope you find this material helpful and I also hope it makes a small contribution to the advancement of good bluegrass music on the radio.

This website is free, but if you would like to make a contribution to help pay for my expenses, that would be a great encouragement to me. You can do it with PayPal by clicking the button below. Any amount would be appreciated. Thanks!!

Wayne Rice