Even among the pantheon of music’s
finest artists, Del McCoury stands alone. From the nascent sound of
bluegrass that charmed hardscrabble hillbilly honkytonks, rural
schoolhouse stages, and the crowning glory of the Grand Ole Opry to
the present-day culture-buzz of viral videos and digital streams,
Del is the living link. On primetime and late-night television talk
shows, there is Del. From headlining sold-out concerts to music
festivals of all genres, including one carrying his namesake, there
is Del. Where audiences number in the tens of thousands, and
admirers as diverse as country-rock icon Steve Earle and jamband
royalty Phish count as a few among hundreds, there is Del.
Emerging from
humble beginnings in York County, PA nearly eighty years ago, Del
was not the likeliest of candidates for legendary status. As a
teen, he was captivated by the banjo playing of one of its masters,
Earl Scruggs, and decided he’d be a banjo picker, too. The
Baltimore/Washington, D.C. bar scene of the early 1960s was lively
and rough. Del caught a break. More than a break, really. It was an
opportunity of a lifetime; joining Bill Monroe's Blue Grass Boys in
early 1963. Considered the Father of Bluegrass, Monroe transformed
McCoury, moving him from the banjo to guitar, anointing him lead
singer, and providing him with a priceless trove of bluegrass
tutelage direct from the source.
Countless
hours of recording sessions and miles of tireless touring dotted
the decades. Del carried on, and carried with him the hallowed
traditions of the form and its dedicated following. The passing
years became certificates of authenticity. So, in the sea of grunge
and R&B that dominated the music scene of the mid-1990s, it was
special, perhaps even startling, to see: There was Del.
Now helming
the Del McCoury Band, with sons Ronnie and Rob, the ensemble did
and continues to represent in a larger, growing musical community a
peerless torchbearer for the entire sweep and scope of bluegrass
history. Those many years, not to mention a good-natured
willingness to stay alert to the latest sounds and opportunities
around him, earned McCoury a whole new generation of fans,
including some in unlikely places.
