Jesse McReynolds
Encyclopedia
Jesse Lester McReynolds (born July 9, 1929, in Coeburn, Virginia
) is an American bluegrass music
ian. He is known for his innovative crosspicking
and split-string styles of mandolin
playing, and is a forty two year member of the Grand Ole Opry
. He is a multiple Grammy nominee and award winner.
Jesse McReynolds, along with his late brother Jim McReynolds, formed the bluegrass band Jim and Jesse in or around 1947.
In 1993 McReynolds was inducted into the International Bluegrass Music Hall of Honor
. In 1997 he and his brother were presented with the highest honor in the United States for folk and traditional arts, the National Heritage Fellowship Award.
McReynolds plays between 60 and 70 shows each year. He regularly releases albums, both of bluegrass music and of other genres. His recording Bending the Rules received a nomination for "Best Instrumental Recording of the Year" from the International Bluegrass Music Association
in 2005.
2010 marked his 63rd anniversary in music, with a birthday festival in his honor on July 9th & 10th at his Pick Inn Music Park in Gallatin, Tennessee
.
In 2010 McReynolds completed Jesse McReynolds & Friends ~ a Tribute to Jerry Garcia and Robert Hunter due to be released on Woodstock Records on October 5, 2010. The tribute to Jerry Garcia
and Robert Hunter
of the Grateful Dead
band features the guitar and vocal work of David Nelson
of New Riders of the Purple Sage
, Stu Allen of the Jerry Garcia Acoustic Band
, and Garcia's longtime friend Sandy Rothman
on banjo along with other musicians. The record includes 12 of the songs of Garcia & Hunter. Not all of the songs are bluegrass arrangements, but are arranged on a song by song basis as to what McReynolds felt best for the song. Also included on this project is a song written by Robert Hunter and McReynolds, called "Day by Day."
Coeburn, Virginia
Coeburn is a town in Wise County, Virginia, along the Guest River. The population was 1,996 at the 2000 census with many small peaceful wooded communities in the outskirts. Camping is available nearby at Bark Camp Lake in the Jefferson National Forest with other activities including boating and...
) is an American bluegrass music
Bluegrass music
Bluegrass music is a form of American roots music, and a sub-genre of country music. It has mixed roots in Scottish, English, Welsh and Irish traditional music...
ian. He is known for his innovative crosspicking
Crosspicking
Crosspicking is a technique for playing the mandolin or guitar using a plectrum or flatpick in a rolling, syncopated style across three strings. This style is probably best known as one element of the flatpicking style in bluegrass music, and it closely resembles a banjo roll, the main difference...
and split-string styles of mandolin
Mandolin
A mandolin is a musical instrument in the lute family . It descends from the mandore, a soprano member of the lute family. The mandolin soundboard comes in many shapes—but generally round or teardrop-shaped, sometimes with scrolls or other projections. A mandolin may have f-holes, or a single...
playing, and is a forty two year member of the Grand Ole Opry
Grand Ole Opry
The Grand Ole Opry is a weekly country music stage concert in Nashville, Tennessee, that has presented the biggest stars of that genre since 1925. It is also among the longest-running broadcasts in history since its beginnings as a one-hour radio "barn dance" on WSM-AM...
. He is a multiple Grammy nominee and award winner.
Jesse McReynolds, along with his late brother Jim McReynolds, formed the bluegrass band Jim and Jesse in or around 1947.
In 1993 McReynolds was inducted into the International Bluegrass Music Hall of Honor
International Bluegrass Music Hall of Honor
Induction to the International Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame, called the International Bluegrass Music Hall of Honor from its creation in 1991 through 2006, is managed by the International Bluegrass Music Association, and the Hall itself is maintained at the International Bluegrass Music Museum in...
. In 1997 he and his brother were presented with the highest honor in the United States for folk and traditional arts, the National Heritage Fellowship Award.
McReynolds plays between 60 and 70 shows each year. He regularly releases albums, both of bluegrass music and of other genres. His recording Bending the Rules received a nomination for "Best Instrumental Recording of the Year" from the International Bluegrass Music Association
International Bluegrass Music Association
The International Bluegrass Music Association, or IBMA, is a trade association to promote bluegrass music.Formed in 1985, IBMA established its first headquarters in Owensboro, Kentucky. In 1988 they announced plans to create the International Bluegrass Music Museum as a joint venture with...
in 2005.
2010 marked his 63rd anniversary in music, with a birthday festival in his honor on July 9th & 10th at his Pick Inn Music Park in Gallatin, Tennessee
Gallatin, Tennessee
Gallatin is a city in and the county seat of Sumner County, Tennessee, United States, along a navigable tributary of the Cumberland River. The population was 23,230 at the 2000 census. Named for U.S...
.
In 2010 McReynolds completed Jesse McReynolds & Friends ~ a Tribute to Jerry Garcia and Robert Hunter due to be released on Woodstock Records on October 5, 2010. The tribute to Jerry Garcia
Jerry Garcia
Jerome John "Jerry" Garcia was an American musician best known for his lead guitar work, singing and songwriting with the band the Grateful Dead...
and Robert Hunter
Robert Hunter (lyricist)
Robert C. Hunter is an American lyricist, singer-songwriter, translator, and poet, best known for his association with Jerry Garcia and the Grateful Dead.-Biography:He was born Robert Burns in San Luis Obispo, California...
of the Grateful Dead
Grateful Dead
The Grateful Dead was an American rock band formed in 1965 in the San Francisco Bay Area. The band was known for its unique and eclectic style, which fused elements of rock, folk, bluegrass, blues, reggae, country, improvisational jazz, psychedelia, and space rock, and for live performances of long...
band features the guitar and vocal work of David Nelson
David Nelson (musician)
David Nelson is an American guitarist and musician.Although he started his musical career playing folk and bluegrass music Nelson is probably best known as one of the original members of psychedelic country rock band the New Riders of the Purple Sage...
of New Riders of the Purple Sage
New Riders of the Purple Sage
New Riders of the Purple Sage is an American country rock band. The group emerged from the psychedelic rock scene in San Francisco, California in 1969, and its original lineup included several members of the Grateful Dead. Their best known song is "Panama Red"...
, Stu Allen of the Jerry Garcia Acoustic Band
Jerry García Acoustic Band
The Jerry Garcia Acoustic Band was a band formed by Jerry Garcia of the Grateful Dead. They played a number of concerts in 1987 and subsequently released two live albums.-Band members:*Jerry Garcia - guitar, vocals*David Nelson - guitar, vocals...
, and Garcia's longtime friend Sandy Rothman
Sandy Rothman
Sandy Rothman is a San Francisco Bay Area bluegrass multi-instrumentalist and record producer, who plays mandolin, dobro and banjo, and was a friend and colleague of Grateful Dead bandleader Jerry Garcia, and a member of the Jerry Garcia Acoustic Band...
on banjo along with other musicians. The record includes 12 of the songs of Garcia & Hunter. Not all of the songs are bluegrass arrangements, but are arranged on a song by song basis as to what McReynolds felt best for the song. Also included on this project is a song written by Robert Hunter and McReynolds, called "Day by Day."