Nashville Bluegrass Band

With two Grammy Awards, two Entertainer of the Year honors from the International Bluegrass Music Association, and four wins as IBMA's Vocal Group of the Year, The Nashville Bluegrass Band is no stranger to acclaim. But as it heads into the production of its 10th album, the group is primed for still greater accomplishments.

With the November 2000 departure of mandolinist Roland White and bassist Gene Libbea, The Nashville Bluegrass Band quickly refilled its ranks with the band’s original mandolin player Mike Compton and new bassist Dennis Crouch to supplement the mainstay members Pat Enright, guitarist, Alan O'Bryant on banjo and Stuart Duncan playing fiddle. In the twinkling of an eye, The Nashville Bluegrass Band has been reinvented to everyone's delight.

The new line-up has already made headlines in Nashville. The group has been frequently appearing on The Grand Ole Opry in recent months. In the spring of 2001, NBB took on the challenge of performing with The Nashville Chamber Orchestra. Classical violinist Conni Elisor had composed a piece for the group entitled, "Whiskey Before Breakfast: Partitas for Chamber Orchestra and String Band." The collaboration was performed at three concerts in Music City and taped for broadcast on National Public Radio. This adventure is merely the latest example of NBB's willingness to experiment and see "what's next."

The Nashville Bluegrass Band was initially formed to back Minnie Pearl and others on a 1984 package tour; however, the band has also performed with Lyle Lovett and Mary Chapin Carpenter. In addition, NBB performed at a sold-out concert at Carnegie Hall with the legendary gospel group, the Fairfield Four. The band has backed artists as diverse as Bernadette Peters and Clint Black in the studio, as well as collaborating with Johnny Cash on the movie soundtrack, Dead Man Walking. R.E.M. once hired the band to play for a private party and they also provided the music for Wynonna Judd's wedding reception.

Even though The Nashville Bluegrass band is as traditional sounding as any bluegrass group alive, their repertoire is laced with blues compositions and songs from African-American gospel tradition, and even featured the gospel ensemble, the Fairfield Four on one of their recordings. The Nashville Bluegrass Band was the first bluegrass group to perform in the People's Republic of China. It has also staged concerts in Egypt, Brazil, Crete, Bangladesh, Bahrain, Qatar, The Azores, Iraq, Israel, and not to mention Denmark, Germany, France, Ireland, Switzerland, Turkey, Japan, Italy, Spain and England.

NBB is one of the few bluegrass bands that have had videos in heavy rotation on CMT. The band’s members are "on call" session musicians for Nashville's mainstream stars – all this while the band’s nine albums have virtually defined the modern bluegrass sound.

The band's members come from all points on the compass. Mike Compton is from Mississippi; Pat Enright from Indiana; Alan O'Bryant hails from North Carolina; Stuart Duncan from California; and Dennis Crouch is from Arkansas. They've joined together under a name that salutes their adopted hometown to create an all-American sound. Nashville Bluegrass Band’s talents have been celebrated, literally, around the world, but their appeal is as basic as a small-town general store.