- Del McCoury
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Del McCoury 
Del McCouryBackground information Birth name Delano Floyd McCoury Born February 1, 1939 Bakersville, NC Origin York, Pennsylvania Genres Bluegrass, Country Occupations Singer, Musician Instruments Guitar, Banjo, Singer Years active 1958–present Labels Rounder Records, McCoury Music Associated acts Del McCoury Band, Golden State Boys, Bill Monroe, The String Cheese Incident, Steve Earle Website www.delmccouryband.com Delano Floyd McCoury (born February 1, 1939 in Bakersville, North Carolina) is an American bluegrass musician. As leader of the Del McCoury Band, he plays guitar and sings lead vocals along with his two sons, Ronnie McCoury and Rob McCoury, who play mandolin and banjo respectively. In June 2010, he received a National Heritage Fellowship lifetime achievement award from the National Endowment for the Arts and in 2011 he was elected into the International Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame.
Contents
Career
McCoury has had a long career in bluegrass. Although originally hired as banjo player, he sang lead vocals and played rhythm guitar for Bill Monroe's Blue Grass Boys in 1963, with whom he first appeared on the Grand Ole Opry. McCoury briefly appeared with the Golden State Boys in 1964 before taking a series of day jobs in construction and logging, while continuing to work as an amateur musician in Maryland, Virginia and Pennsylvania.[1]
In the 1980s his sons began performing with him. Fiddler Tad Marks and bass player Mike Brantley joined McCoury's group in early 1990s. McCoury's group toured widely throughout the US. They relocated to Nashville, Tennessee as they began to attract attention. Fiddler Jason Carter and bassist Mike Bub joined in 1992. Alan Bartram joined the band as bassist in 2005. McCoury became a member of the Grand Ole Opry in October 2003.
McCoury was also one of many performers at The Clearwater Concert at Madison Square Garden on May 3, 2009. The event celebrated the 90th birthday of Pete Seeger.
McCoury has influenced a great number of bands, including Phish, with whom he has shared the stage several times,[2][3] and who have covered his songs.[4] He has also performed with The String Cheese Incident and Donna the Buffalo, and recorded with Steve Earle.[5] McCoury has covered songs by artists as diverse as The Lovin' Spoonful, Tom Petty, and Richard Thompson.[4] McCoury has appeared at festivals including Bonnaroo, High Sierra,[1] the Hardly Strictly Bluegrass, and the Newport Folk Festival.[6] His television appearances include Late Night with Conan O'Brien and The Late Show with David Letterman.[7] Del has a very enthusiastic fan base, known as the Del-Heads.
In October 2009, The Del McCoury Band began offering fans recordings of their performances on USB flash drives available immediately after their concerts.[8]
In June 2010, McCoury received a lifetime achievement award from the National Endowment for the Arts in the field of folk and traditional arts, including a stipend of $25,000.[9]
DelFest
Del McCoury Band at 2nd annual DelFest, 2009
In 2008, Del McCoury started DelFest, an annual bluegrass festival in Cumberland, Maryland, held at the Allegany County Fairgrounds [10]
Discography
Del McCoury, 2005Del McCoury
Year Album 1968 I Wonder Where You Are Tonight Del McCoury Sings Bluegrass 1971 Livin' on the Mountain Collector's Special 1972 High on a Mountain (Del McCoury and The Dixie Pals) 1974 Our Kind of Grass (Rebel SLP-1569) 1975 Del McCoury and the Dixie Pals (Del McCoury and The Dixie Pals - Revonah 916) 1976 Del McCoury (Rebel SLP 1542) 1980 Live in Japan (Del McCoury and The Dixie Pals) 1981 Take Me To the Mountains (Del McCoury and The Dixie Pals - Rebel REB 1622) 1983 The Best of Del McCoury and the Dixie Pals (Del McCoury and The Dixie Pals - Rebel REB 1610) 1985 Sawmill (Del McCoury and The Dixie Pals - Rebel REB 1636) 1987 The McCoury Brothers (The McCoury Brothers) 1988 Don't Stop the Music 1992 "Blue Side of Town" 1993 "A Deeper Shade of Blue" 1996 "Cold Hard Facts" 1998 Del Doc & Mac (Mac Wiseman, Doc Watson & Del McCoury) 1999 "Family" For the Love of God, Man, Let Your Sons Sing or Something! (Ronnie McCoury) 2001 "Del and the Boys" 2003 "It's Just the Night" 2004 Classic Bluegrass (Del McCoury & The Dixie Pals) High Lonesome and Blue 2005 Company We Keep 2007 Little Mo'McCoury (Ronnie McCoury backed by Del McCoury Band) 2008 Moneyland 2009 Celebrating 50 Years Family Circle Del McCoury Band
Main article: Del McCoury BandAwards
Del McCoury has won 31 International Bluegrass Music Association Awards, including Entertainer of the Year four consecutive times[11] (nine total[6]). McCoury has also won IBMA Male Vocalist of the Year four times. In 2004 he was nominated for the Best Bluegrass Album Grammy Award for It's Just The Night, and in 2006 he won his first Grammy Award, in the same category, for The Company We Keep.[6]
International Bluegrass Music Association Awards
Del McCoury Band, 2007- 1990 Male Vocalist of the Year – Del McCoury
- 1991 Male Vocalist of the Year – Del McCoury
- 1992 Male Vocalist of the Year – Del McCoury
- 1994 Entertainer of the Year – The Del McCoury Band
- 1994 Album of the Year – A Deeper Shade of Blue; Del McCoury
- 1996 Instrumental Group of the Year – The Del McCoury Band
- 1996 Entertainer of the Year – Del McCoury
- 1996 Male Vocalist of the Year – Del McCoury
- 1997 Instrumental Group of the Year – The Del McCoury Band
- 1997 Entertainer of the Year – The Del McCoury Band
- 1997 Album of the Year – True Life Blues – The Songs of Bill Monroe; Sam Bush, Vassar Clements, Mike Compton, Jerry Douglas, Stuart Duncan, Pat Enright, Greg Garing, Richard Greene, David Grier, David Grisman, John Hartford, Bobby Hicks, Kathy Kallick, Laurie Lewis, Mike Marshall, Del McCoury, Ronnie McCoury, Jim Nunally, Scott Nygaard, Mollie O'Brien, Tim O'Brien, Alan O'Bryant, Herb Pedersen, Todd Phillips, John Reischman, Peter Rowan, Craig Smith, Chris Thile, Tony Trischka, Roland White.
- 1998 Entertainer of the Year – The Del McCoury Band
- 1999 Entertainer of the Year – The Del McCoury Band
- 2000 Entertainer of the Year – The Del McCoury Band
- 2002 Entertainer of the Year – The Del McCoury Band
- 2002 Song of the Year – 1952 Vincent Black Lightning; The Del McCoury Band (artists), Richard John Thompson (writer)
- 2003 Entertainer of the Year – The Del McCoury Band
- 2004 Entertainer of the Year – The Del McCoury Band
- 2004 Album of the Year – It’s Just the Night; The Del McCoury Band
Notes and references
- ^ a b GACTV December 5, 2005, accessed February 11, 2006
- ^ [1], accessed February 11, 2006
- ^ [2], accessed February 11, 2006
- ^ a b [3], accessed February 11, 2006
- ^ National Public Radio, Morning Edition June 20, 2005 broadcast, accessed February 11, 2006
- ^ a b c [4], accessed February 11, 2006
- ^ [5], accessed February 11, 2006.
- ^ http://aderra.net/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=4&products_id=11
- ^ http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/06/24/nea-will-honor-18-artists/ NEA Will Honor 18 Artists
- ^ DelFest accessed May 9, 2009
- ^ [6], accessed February 11, 2006
External links
- Del McCoury Band official website
- Del McCoury Band on Myspace
- Discography at Discography of Bluegrass Sound Recordings
Bluegrass music Typical instruments 
Stylistic origins Sub- and fusion genres Notable festivals Bill Monroe's Bean Blossom Festival · California Bluegrass Association Father's Day Bluegrass Festival · Delfest · Grey Fox Bluegrass Festival · High Sierra Music Festival · Kentucky Festival of the Bluegrass · Merlefest · San Francisco Bluegrass & Old Time Festival · South Carolina State Bluegrass Festival · River City Bluegrass Festival · Rockygrass · Telluride Bluegrass Festival · WintergrassOther International Bluegrass Music Museum · International Bluegrass Music Association · International Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame · Society for the Preservation of Bluegrass Music in America · Bluegrass UnlimitedCategory · Portal Categories:- 1939 births
- Living people
- American bluegrass guitarists
- American country guitarists
- American male singers
- American bluegrass musicians
- People from Mitchell County, North Carolina
- Grammy Award winners
- Grand Ole Opry members
- Musicians from North Carolina
- Rebel Records artists
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