Del McCoury has spent 50 of his 70 years playing music, though by necessity the music often has shared time with day jobs: pouring concrete, logging and the like.
He and his Del McCoury Band have forged a hard-driving bluegrass sound that is at once staunchly traditional and instantly identifiable. It is acoustic, practiced and precise, and it seems the polar opposite of the jam-rock culture.
"Well, we've been doing mixed festivals -- you know, hardcore bluegrass and then . . . some others, since the early '70s," said McCoury, sitting at his home with sons (and McCoury Band members) Rob and Ronnie McCoury.
"I guess I always had the confidence that somebody's going to like this music. Some might walk away, but somebody else will walk toward us. I've been playing for all sorts of different people since way back. Played for hippies, and for beatniks before that," he said.
The well-appointed McCoury home is a testament to the extent of his music's popularity beyond bluegrass' niche audience. In the liner notes to the 50-song box set "Celebrating 50 Years of Del McCoury," dobro great Jerry Douglas wrote, "You can finally make a living playing bluegrass, and a large part of it is because of Del McCoury: He became like the new Bill Monroe."
Born in Bakersfield, N.C., McCoury was raised in York County, Pa. Early on, he was enamored of the sounds he heard on the "Grand Ole Opry," particularly those that came from Bill Monroe and Flatt & Scruggs. These were the days before bluegrass was called "bluegrass," and before any act based around fiddles and five-string banjos had achieved the kind of success that would allow a pool in the backyard.
Brother G.C. McCoury taught Del to play guitar, but his most impressive trick as a youngster was his ability to play a banjo in the style Earl Scruggs was pioneering on the "Opry." That ability helped an older McCoury get a job with Bill Monroe.
More...
He and his Del McCoury Band have forged a hard-driving bluegrass sound that is at once staunchly traditional and instantly identifiable. It is acoustic, practiced and precise, and it seems the polar opposite of the jam-rock culture.
"Well, we've been doing mixed festivals -- you know, hardcore bluegrass and then . . . some others, since the early '70s," said McCoury, sitting at his home with sons (and McCoury Band members) Rob and Ronnie McCoury.
"I guess I always had the confidence that somebody's going to like this music. Some might walk away, but somebody else will walk toward us. I've been playing for all sorts of different people since way back. Played for hippies, and for beatniks before that," he said.
The well-appointed McCoury home is a testament to the extent of his music's popularity beyond bluegrass' niche audience. In the liner notes to the 50-song box set "Celebrating 50 Years of Del McCoury," dobro great Jerry Douglas wrote, "You can finally make a living playing bluegrass, and a large part of it is because of Del McCoury: He became like the new Bill Monroe."
Born in Bakersfield, N.C., McCoury was raised in York County, Pa. Early on, he was enamored of the sounds he heard on the "Grand Ole Opry," particularly those that came from Bill Monroe and Flatt & Scruggs. These were the days before bluegrass was called "bluegrass," and before any act based around fiddles and five-string banjos had achieved the kind of success that would allow a pool in the backyard.
Brother G.C. McCoury taught Del to play guitar, but his most impressive trick as a youngster was his ability to play a banjo in the style Earl Scruggs was pioneering on the "Opry." That ability helped an older McCoury get a job with Bill Monroe.
No comments:
Post a Comment