McCoury was born in Bakersville, North Carolina. His mother, Hazel, sang and played several instruments. His brother Jerry plays bass. His brother G. C. taught Del to play the guitar and sparked his interest in bluegrass music. The McCoury family moved to York County, Pennsylvania in 1941.[3]
Inspired by Earl Scruggs, McCoury learned to play the banjo. He purchased his first banjo, a Gibson, and joined a band called The Stevens Brothers. He later played with Keith Daniels and the Blue Ridge Ramblers. They recorded an album for the Empire label in 1962.[4]
McCoury was drafted into the military that same year, but received a medical discharge. Hel played with Melvin Howell and the Franklin County Boys and Jack Cooke and the Virginia Mountain Boys. He joined Bill Monroe's band The Blue Grass Boys in February 1963.[5] They already had a banjo player, so McCoury played guitar and sang. During his tenure with the group. they had several appearances at the Grand Ole Opry and recorded six songs for Decca Records.[6]
McCoury left Monroe's band in February 1964. He played the Golden State Boys and the Shady Valley Boys in California, but returned home in June to work a day job doing logging with his father, while working weekend gigs in Maryland, Virginia, and Pennsylvania.[7][8] In December 1967, he recorded his first album, Del McCoury Sings Bluegrass. [9]
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.[10] 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.
Del McCoury Band – Old Settler's Music Festival (2013)
In October 2009, The Del McCoury Band began offering fans recordings of their performances on USB flash drives available immediately after their concerts.[16]
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.[17]
In 2012, he joined the 11th[18] annual Independent Music Awards judging panel to assist independent musicians' careers.
In 2008, Del McCoury started DelFest, an annual bluegrass festival in Cumberland, Maryland, held at the Allegany County Fairgrounds.[19] Del McCoury Band plays every night at each of the festivals.
2011: Audie Blaylock and Redline - I'm Going Back to Old Kentucky: A Bill Monroe Celebration (Rural Rhythm)
Awards and honors
Del McCoury has won 31 International Bluegrass Music Association Awards, including Entertainer of the Year four consecutive times[20] (nine total[15]). 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.[15] In 2014, McCoury was nominated and won his second Grammy Award for The Streets of Baltimore.[21] He was a recipient of a 2010 National Heritage Fellowship awarded by the National Endowment for the Arts, which is the United States government's highest honor in the folk and traditional arts.[22] McCoury received the Bluegrass Star Award, presented by the Bluegrass Heritage Foundation, in 2015. The award is bestowed upon bluegrass artists who do an exemplary job of advancing traditional bluegrass music and bringing it to new audiences while preserving its character and heritage.[23]
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