Cody Kilby is an American bluegrass musician who plays

guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected strin ...

. He is best known for his work with the Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder and the Travelin' McCourys.

Biography

Cody Kilby was born in

Tennessee Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to th ...

. He is a musical prodigy who has mastered a wide range of instruments. He picked up his Dad’s banjo at age 8 and by the time he was 11, he had a

Gibson Gibson may refer to: People * Gibson (surname) Businesses * Gibson Brands, Inc., an American manufacturer of guitars, other musical instruments, and audio equipment * Gibson Technology, and English automotive and motorsport company based * Gi ...

banjo endorsement. He began playing his mom’s guitar at 10. At 17, in 1998, he was named the National Flatpicking Champion. He also learned to play Dobro and Mandolin at 13. At 16, he recorded ''Just Me'', on which he played every instrument on the album. In 2001 Kilby joined Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder. He would stay with the band for 14 years. During this time he would win four Grammy Awards as a part of Skaggs' band. In 2015 he would leave Kentucky Thunder to join The Travelin' McCourys

Recordings

In addition to his work with Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder, Kilby has guested on a number of albums. He has also released two solo albums, 1997's ''Just Me'' and 2011's ''Many Roads Traveled''. Kilby played guitar on Beck's ''

Morning Phase ''Morning Phase'' is the twelfth official studio album and twelfth overall by American singer Beck. The album was released in February 2014 by his new label, Capitol Records. According to a press release, ''Morning Phase'' is a "companion piec ...

'' that won the

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pr ...

for Album of the Year in 2015. He has also recorded with

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, Ronnie Milsap, the

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, Marty Stuart,

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, Dailey & Vincent, Marty Raybon,

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, Earl Scruggs, Ruthie Collins,

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, and

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Discography

Solo recordings

*1997: ''Just Me'' (

Rebel Records Rebel Records is an independent American record label based in Charlottesville, Virginia that specializes in bluegrass and old time music. The label was founded in Mount Rainier, Maryland in 1959 by Dick Freeland, Bill Carroll and Sonny Compto ...

) *2011: ''Many Roads Traveled'' (Independent Release)

Awards

*IBMA guitar player of the year: 2022 *National Flat Pick Guitar Championship: First 1998 *

Walnut Valley Festival The Walnut Valley Festival is an acoustic music festival held annually in Winfield, Kansas, United States. The main genre of music is bluegrass, but a wide variety of other acoustic styles are represented. The festival is held on the Wednesday ...

Mandolin Championship (1976-2009, Now known as the National Mandolin Championship): First 1996 *National Flat Pick Guitar Championship: Second 1997, 1995 *National Bluegrass Banjo Championship: Second 1995 *National Bluegrass Banjo Championship: Third 1999, 1998 *National Flat Pick Guitar Championship: Third 1996

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kilby, Cody American bluegrass musicians Living people Year of birth missing (living people) Kentucky Thunder members The Travelin' McCourys members