Fri 11/14 @ 8PM
Bluegrass banjo player/guitarist/singer Del McCoury, now 75, got his start with the best, playing briefly with the genre’s founder Bill Monroe. He didn’t hit the top level pro circuit right away but played on the side while working day jobs until the ’80s when he began performing his songs, Ronnie and Rob.
Since then, they’ve become mainstays at bluegrass festivals and special events like the celebration of Pete Seeger’ 90th birthday at Madison Square Garden in 2009. With jam bands digging into bluegrass as a key ingredient, and bands like Phish citing McCoury as an influence, you’ll find him and his band on jam/rock stages too.
This season, you’ll also find him on the road with mandolinist David Grisman, one of the founders of newgrass, the next step beyond Monroe. As a teenager growing up in New Jersey, he heard Monroe play just after the era when McCoury was in the band. That was also where he met his lifelong friend Jerry Garcia, who had a similar bluegrass affinity and in the ’70s they formed the bluegrass band Old and In the Way to bring a new vibe to a traditional music. Since then he’s performed primarily with his newgrass ensemble the David Grisman Band, crisscrossing between jam band and bluegrass fests.
McCoury and Grisman may come from different backgrounds but they’ve got similar musical souls. It should be a fiery bluegrass summit when they’re onstage together. Acoustic folk/bluegrass duo Billy Strings and Don Julin will open the show when they hit the Music Box Supper Club.
Tickets are $48 in advance, $55 at the door.
musicboxcle.com/del-mccoury-david-grisman/