Artists: Biography Del McCoury  

Del McCoury was born in Bakersville, N.C., on Feb. 1, 1939, but when he was a young child, his family moved to southern Pennsylvania. He played banjo in a series of local bluegrass bands near his adopted hometown of York, Pa., and around the

Baltimore area. In 1963, he served an apprenticeship with Bill Monroe and his Blue Grass Boys, and it was Monroe who switched McCoury from banjo to guitar and first recognized his distinctive tenor was well suited for lead vocals. McCoury's yearlong stint with the Blue Grass Boys took him around the country and eventually to California, where he joined the Golden State Boys.

In 1967, he formed his own band, Del McCoury and the Dixie Pals. Under this name, he performed and recorded for several years while working at jobs in logging and construction to support his family. In 1987, McCoury and his brother Jerry recorded a self-titled duo album for Rounder, but within a few years, he established the Del McCoury Band around the talents of his sons, Ronnie and Rob. They released two albums in the early 1990s before relocating to Nashville in 1992, shortly thereafter adding bassist Mike Bub and fiddler Jason Carter.

The band's A Deeper Shade of Blue (1994) won the IBMA (International Bluegrass Music Association) album of the year, and a 1995 side project of Ronnie and Rob McCoury won an IBMA award for instrumental album.

In 1996, the Del McCoury Band proved their largest success to date with Cold Hard Facts. The project earned a Grammy nomination and spent seven months at the top of the bluegrass charts, holding down both the No. 1 and No. 2 slots with the title track and a version of Willie Nelson's "Blackjack County Chains." In 1996 and 1997, they virtually swept the IBMA Awards, winning entertainer and instrumental band honors both years, along with Del's fourth male vocalist award in 1996, two more mandolin honors for Ronnie, two bass player awards for Bub and a fiddle player honor for Carter in 1997.

The success of Cold Hard Facts and the band's brilliant live performances began to attract fans outside of the core bluegrass audience. Cold Hard Facts made it into the Top 5 of the Americana chart, and the band wowed alternative rock and country fans at Austin's South by Southwest Music Conference. Longtime fan Steve Earle invited the band to back him on his 1997 El Corazon, and they collaborated on the 1999 album The Mountain.

The Del McCoury Band moved from Rounder to Ceili Music (owned by Ricky Skaggs) for 1999's The Family and 2001's Del and the Boys. Though they weren't involved in the O Brother, Where Art Thou? soundtrack, they were prominently featured in the Down From the Mountain tour. In 2003, the Del McCoury Band issued It's Just the Night on their own label.

High profile television appearances include dates on Late Night With Conan O'Brien, The Late Show With David Letterman, Sessions on West 54th and two installments of PBS' All-Star Bluegrass Celebration. They also began sharing a youthful audience with jam bands such as Phish and Leftover Salmon.

Both as a unit and as individuals, the members of the Del McCoury Band have won more than 40 IBMA awards since 1990, including eight entertainer trophies and eight mandolin trophies for Ronnie. Bub has won four IBMA awards for bass player, and Carter has won three for fiddle player. In addition, the band's version of Richard Thompson's "1952 Vincent Black Lightning" won their first IBMA song of the year award in 2002. McCoury joined the cast of the Grand Ole Opry in 2003.