The Travelin’ McCourys

The McCoury brothers — Ronnie (mandolin) and Rob (banjo) — were born into the bluegrass tradition. Their father, Del McCoury, is among the most influential and successful musicians in the history of the genre. Years on the road with Dad in the Del McCoury Band honed the brothers’ knife-edge chops, and encouraged the duo to imagine how traditional bluegrass could cut innovative pathways into 21st century music. “If you put your mind, your skills, and your ability to it, I think you can make just about anything work on bluegrass instruments,” says Ronnie. “That’s a really fun part of this — figuring the new stuff out and surprising the audience.” With fiddler Jason Carter, bassist Alan Bartram, and Cody Kilby on guitar, they assembled a group that could take what they had in their DNA, take what traditions they learned and heard, and push the music forward. Their self-titled debut garnered a Grammy Award in 2019 for Best Bluegrass Album.