Del McCoury is bluegrass music’s living patriarch. Born in York, Pennsylvania in 1939, with deep roots in North Carolina, Del got his start playing banjo before switching to guitar and stepping into the spotlight as a singer when in 1963, he got the call from Bill Monroe to join the Blue Grass Boys. From that moment on, Del’s voice—bright, brassy, and unmistakable—became a cornerstone of the genre. With his sons, Ronnie and Rob by his side in The Del McCoury Band, he helped bring bluegrass to new generations and new audiences, from the backwoods to Bonnaroo.
Del is a 31-time IBMA award winner, including Entertainer of the Year—a title he’s taken home a record-setting nine times. He’s a two-time GRAMMY winner, a National Endowment for the Arts Heritage Fellow, he became a Grand Ole Opry member in 2003 and in 2011, he was inducted into the International Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame.
We were fortunate enough to witness his September 2025 appearance with his family band at Hopewell’s inviting Beacon Theater, and at age 86, he was more endearing and engaging than ever.
