Great Barrington — If you don’t know who Del McCoury is, you are likely also unfamiliar with the high lonesome sound, Vince Gill’s bluegrass roots, the pioneering legacy of Bill Monroe, and the traditions of the Grand Ole Opry. But you can change all that at the Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center on May 10 at 8 p.m.—and you will be glad you did. McCoury’s band, composed mostly of immediate family members (with only a single change of personnel in 27 years), delivers some of the finest bluegrass music around: deeply rooted and marked by virtuosic musicianship.
On the other hand, if you are a “Del-head,” then you already know more about Del’s music than most music journalists. Now, all you need to know is where to buy tickets. (Here.)
In Nashville musicians’ circles, the “gettin’ place” refers to the deep, often formative source of a player’s knowledge, technique, and inspiration. For Del McCoury, that “gettin’ place” was none other than the father of bluegrass music, Bill Monroe, who inspired at least three generations of bluegrass artists.
It is always desirable to see a band’s setlist before paying to see it perform. But Del doesn’t have one: “We try and work in the new songs,” he says, “but a lot of times it’s just requests from the audience. It’s more interesting for the band, for me, and for the audience, because nobody knows what’s coming next.”
Those new songs would likely come from his most recent release, “Songs of Love and Life,” which follows 2021’s GRAMMY-nominated album “Almost Proud.”
Del McCoury became a member of the Grand Ole Opry in 2003 and received the National Heritage Fellowship—America’s highest honor in the folk and traditional arts—from the National Endowment for the Arts in 2010. The following year, he was inducted into the International Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame.
Now it’s Del’s turn to inspire and mentor a new generation of musicians, including Billy Strings, Molly Tuttle, Phish frontman Trey Anastasio, Rhiannon Giddens, and many others. To that end, he founded DelFest in 2008—a multi-day, multi-stage bluegrass and roots music festival designed as a showcase for both emerging and established string bands.
The Del McCoury Band is clearly in the business of entertaining audiences: The boys have won two GRAMMYs and 10 International Bluegrass Music Awards’ Entertainer of the Year trophies, the last one being in 2024.
Del gives credit to the band that has been with him for over 27 years: “I know (having the same band) helped with my success,” he says. “It keeps your sound constant. We really enjoy what we’re doing.”
Hear the Del McCoury band at the Mahaiwe Performing Arts center, 14 Castle Street, Great Barrington, on Saturday, May 10, at 8 p.m. More information is available here.
