Doyle Lawson (born April 20, 1944) is an American traditional bluegrass and

Southern gospel Southern gospel music is a genre of Christian music. Its name comes from its origins in the southeastern United States. Its lyrics are written to express either personal or a communal faith regarding biblical teachings and Christian life, as ...

musician A musician is a person who composes, conducts, or performs music. According to the United States Employment Service, "musician" is a general term used to designate one who follows music as a profession. Musicians include songwriters who wri ...

. He is best known as a

mandolin A mandolin ( it, mandolino ; literally "small mandola") is a stringed musical instrument in the lute family and is generally plucked with a pick. It most commonly has four courses of doubled strings tuned in unison, thus giving a total of 8 ...

player, vocalist, producer, and leader of the 6-man group Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver. Lawson was inducted into the International Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame in 2012.

Early life

Doyle Lawson was born in Fordtown,

Sullivan County, Tennessee Sullivan County is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee on its northeast border. As of the 2020 census, the population was 158,163. Its county seat is Blountville. Sullivan County is part of the Kingsport– Johnson City&ndash ...

, the son of Leonard and Minnie Lawson. The Lawson family moved to Sneedville in 1954. Lawson grew up listening to the

Grand Ole Opry The ''Grand Ole Opry'' is a weekly American country music stage concert in Nashville, Tennessee, founded on November 28, 1925, by George D. Hay as a one-hour radio "barn dance" on WSM. Currently owned and operated by Opry Entertainment (a divis ...

on Saturday nights. This is where he heard mandolinist

Bill Monroe William Smith "Bill" Monroe (; September 13, 1911 – September 9, 1996) was an American mandolinist, singer, and songwriter, who created the bluegrass music genre. Because of this, he is often called the " Father of Bluegrass". The genre take ...

, the "founding father" of bluegrass, and his band ''the Blue Grass Boys''. Lawson became interested in playing the mandolin around the age of eleven so his father borrowed a mandolin from Willis Byrd, a family friend and fellow musician. Doyle taught himself how to play the mandolin by listening to the radio and records, and watching an occasional TV show. Later Lawson learned to play the

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 stri ...

and

banjo The banjo is a stringed instrument with a thin membrane stretched over a frame or cavity to form a resonator. The membrane is typically circular, and usually made of plastic, or occasionally animal skin. Early forms of the instrument were fashi ...

as well.

Career

Early career

In 1963, aged 18 or 19, Lawson went to

Nashville Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and the ...

to play the banjo with Jimmy Martin and the Sunny Mountain Boys. In 1966, he started playing with

J.D. Crowe James Dee Crowe (August 27, 1937December 24, 2021) was an American banjo player and bluegrass band leader. He first became known during his four-year stint with Jimmy Martin in the 1950s. Crowe led the bluegrass group New South from 1971 until ...

and the Kentucky Mountain Boys (later called the

New South New South, New South Democracy or New South Creed is a slogan in the history of the American South first used after the American Civil War. Reformers used it to call for a modernization of society and attitudes, to integrate more fully with the ...

) in

Lexington, Kentucky Lexington is a city in Kentucky, United States that is the county seat of Fayette County, Kentucky, Fayette County. By population, it is the List of cities in Kentucky, second-largest city in Kentucky and List of United States cities by popul ...

. He returned to play the mandolin and sing tenor with Martin in 1969 for six months, and then played again with Crowe until August 1971. In September, 1971, Lawson started playing with

The Country Gentlemen The Country Gentlemen was a progressive bluegrass band that originated during the 1950s in the area of Washington, D.C., United States, and recorded and toured with various members until the death in 2004 of Charlie Waller (American musician), C ...

and remained part of the band for almost eight years. During that time, in 1977, he backed up U.S. Senator

Robert Byrd Robert Carlyle Byrd (born Cornelius Calvin Sale Jr.; November 20, 1917 – June 28, 2010) was an American politician and musician who served as a United States senator from West Virginia for over 51 years, from 1959 until his death in 2010. A ...

on his ''Mountain Fiddler'' album. In March 1979 when Lawson left the Country Gentlemen with the intention of forming a band and creating his own sound.

Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver

Within a month Lawson had formed ''Doyle Lawson and Foxfire'', with Jimmy Haley on guitar,

Lou Reid Lou Reid Pyrtle (born September 13, 1954 in Union Grove, North Carolina) is an American bluegrass singer, band leader, and multi-instrumentalist. Biography Early life Reid grew up on a tobacco farm in Moore Springs, North Carolina. His father ...

on bass, and

Terry Baucom Terry Baucom is an American bluegrass singer, banjo player, and band leader. He is nicknamed "The Duke of Drive" for his propelling banjo style. He leads his band, The Dukes of Drive, and was a founding member of Boone Creek, Doyle Lawson and Qu ...

on banjo. The band name was soon changed to ''Doyle Lawson and Quicksilver''. In 1981, through

Sugar Hill Records Sugar Hill Records is an American bluegrass and Americana record label. It was founded in Durham, North Carolina in 1978 by Barry Poss and David Freeman, the owner of County Records and Rebel Records. Poss acquired full control of Sugar Hil ...

, Lawson with this lineup released the critically acclaimed ''Rock My Soul'', an album that would become a landmark bluegrass gospel project. With a new bassist, Randy Graham, the band recorded a second gospel album, ''Heavenly Treasures'', also on Sugar Hill. Shortly thereafter, Graham, Baucom and Haley left to form their own band. Lawson hired guitarist Russell Moore, banjoist

Scott Vestal Scott Vestal is an American banjoist, songwriter and luthier, known for his innovative approach to playing and designing the banjo. Biography Early years The older of two children, Scott Vestal was raised in Duncan, Oklahoma in a musical fam ...

and bassist Curtis Vestal, and continued to perform. After a time Ray Deaton took over on bass. In 1989 the band won song of the year at the

International Bluegrass Music Awards The International Bluegrass Music Awards is an award show for bluegrass music presented by the International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA). Awards are voted based on professional membership in the IBMA. Award winners 2021 award winners Th ...

for "Little Mountain Church House". In 1997, "There's a Light Guiding Me" was a 39th Annual Grammy Award nominee for Best Southern Gospel, Country Gospel or Bluegrass Gospel Album. Through the years, Quicksilver toured regularly, performing at festivals concerts and other musical events. In 1998, Lawson and Quicksilver became the first bluegrass band to perform at the

National Quartet Convention The National Quartet Convention (NQC) is an annual gathering of Southern Gospel quartets and musicians. It is held at the Leconte Center in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, United States. History The first National Quartet Convention was held in 1957. ...

. Lawson and Quicksilver performed in

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...

, Canada at the

Tottenham Bluegrass Festival The Tottenham Bluegrass Festival is an annual event which has been held in the community of Tottenham, Ontario since 1983. The Tottenham Bluegrass Festival presents a three-day stage show featuring well-known bluegrass bands from around Canada ...

in June 2001 and again in June 2015. Lawson and Quicksilver provided the background vocals to the song "Dazzling Blue" on Paul Simon's 2011 album "So Beautiful or So What". In 2015, "In Session" was nominated for Best Bluegrass Album at the 58th Annual Grammy Awards. Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver on stage at the 2015 Tottenham Bluegrass Festival in Ontario, Canada

Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver on stage at the 2015 Tottenham Bluegrass Festival in Ontario, Canada

Lawson composed a number of the band's songs and tunes. His instrumental piece, "Rosine," is a tribute to Monroe's birthplace and features, among other things, strains from the singer's 1967 instrumental "Kentucky Mandolin". Lawson hosts the annual Doyle Lawson and Quicksilver Festival in

Denton, North Carolina Denton is a town in Davidson County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 1,636 at the 2010 census. Geography Denton is located in southern Davidson County at (35.632752, -80.111603). It is southeast of Lexington, the county seat. ...

. In 2021, Lawson announced his retirement as a bandleader.

Personal life

Doyle has been married to Suzanne Lawson since 1978. He has one son, two daughters and a grandchild. Doyle rededicated his life to

Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. It is the world's largest and most widespread religion with roughly 2.38 billion followers representing one-third of the global pop ...

in May 1985 and is a practicing member of Cold Spring Presbyterian Church.

Band members

Original *Doyle Lawson-mandolin, vocal *Jimmy Haley-guitar, vocal (1979-1985) *

-bass, vocal (1979-1982) *Terry Baucom-banjo, vocal (1979-1985, 2003-2007) Final *Doyle Lawson-mandolin, vocal *Eli Johnston-bass, banjo, vocal (2013-2018, 2020-2021) *Stephen Burwell-fiddle (2014-2020, 2021) *Jerry Cole-bass, guitar, vocal (2018-2021) *Matt Flake-fiddle, bass, vocal (2020-2021) *Ben James-guitar, vocal (2020-2021) Other past members *Randy Graham-bass, vocal (1982-1985) *Russell Moore-guitar, vocal (1985-1991) *Scott Vestal-banjo, vocal (1985-1988) *Curtis Vestal-bass, vocal (1985-1986) *Ray Deaton-bass, vocal (1986-1991) *Jim Mills-banjo, vocal (1988-1992) *Mike Hartgrove-fiddle (1989-1991, 2005-2007) *John Bowman-guitar, vocal (1991-1992) *Shelton Feazell-bass, vocal (1991-1993) *Shawn Lane-fiddle, guitar, vocal (1992-1994) *Jimmy Stewart-dobro, fiddle (1992-1994) *Brad Campbell-banjo, vocal (1992-1994) *John Berry-bass, vocal (1993-1994) *Barry Abernathy-banjo, vocal (1994-1998) *Dale Perry-bass, banjo, vocal (1994-2003, 2009-2011) *Steve Gulley-guitar, vocal (1994-1996) *Owen Saunders-fiddle (1994-1997) *Barry Scott-guitar, bass, vocal (1996-2005) *Jim VanCleve-fiddle (1997-1998) *Doug Bartlett-fiddle, vocal (1998-2001) *Jamie Dailey-bass, guitar, vocal (1998-2007) *Hunter Berry-fiddle (2001-2002) *Jesse Stockman-fiddle (2002-2005) *Jess Barry-fiddle (2002-2003) *Darren Beachley-bass, guitar, vocal (2005-2009) *Alan Johnson-fiddle, vocal (2007-2008) *Joey Cox-banjo (2007-2009) *Carl White-bass, drums, vocal (2007-2009, 2011-2012) *Josh Swift-dobro, vocal (2007-2020) *Brandon Godman-fiddle (2008-2009) *Jason Barie-fiddle (2009-2014) *Corey Hensley-guitar, bass, vocal (2009-2013) *Jason Leek-bass, vocal (2009-2010) *Mike Rogers-guitar, vocal (2010-2013) *Jessie Baker-banjo (2011-2012) *Joe Dean-banjo, vocal (2012-2020) *Dustin Pyrtle-guitar, vocal (2013-2018) *Jake Vanover-guitar, vocal (2018-2020)

Discography

Studio albums

Compilation albums

Awards

Lawson is a recipient of a 2006

National Heritage Fellowship The National Heritage Fellowship is a lifetime honor presented to master folk and traditional artists by the National Endowment for the Arts. Similar to Japan's Living National Treasure award, the Fellowship is the United States government's h ...

awarded by the

National Endowment for the Arts The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) is an independent agency of the United States federal government that offers support and funding for projects exhibiting artistic excellence. It was created in 1965 as an independent agency of the federal ...

, which is the United States government's highest honor in the folk and traditional arts.

International Bluegrass Music Association

* 1990 Song of the Year: Doyle Lawson and Quicksilver for "Little Mountain Church" * 1996 Gospel Recorded Performance of the Year: Doyle Lawson and Quicksilver for "There's a Light Guiding Me" * 2000 Gospel Recorded Performance of the Year: Doyle Lawson and Quicksilver for "Winding Through Life" * 2001 Vocal Group of the Year: Doyle Lawson and Quicksilver * 2002 Vocal Group of the Year: Doyle Lawson and Quicksilver * 2003 Vocal Group of the Year: Doyle Lawson and Quicksilver * 2003 Song of the Year: Doyle Lawson and Quicksilver for "Blue Train" * 2003 Gospel Recorded Performance of the Year: Doyle Lawson and Quicksilver for "Hand Made Cross" * 2004 Vocal Group of the Year: Doyle Lawson and Quicksilver * 2005 Vocal Group of the Year: Doyle Lawson and Quicksilver * 2005 Gospel Recorded Performance of the Year: Doyle Lawson and Quicksilver for "Praise His Name" * 2006 Vocal Group of the Year: Doyle Lawson and Quicksilver * 2006 Album of the Year: Celebration of Life: Musicians Against Childhood Cancer, featuring various bluegrass bands and musicians * 2006 Gospel Recorded Performance of the Year: Doyle Lawson and Quicksilver for "He Lives in Me" * 2007 Vocal Group of the Year: Doyle Lawson and Quicksilver * 2007 Gospel Recorded Performance of the Year: Doyle Lawson and Quicksilver for "He Lives in Me" * 2011 Recorded Event of the Year: Doyle Lawson,

J. D. Crowe James Dee Crowe (August 27, 1937December 24, 2021) was an American banjo player and bluegrass band leader. He first became known during his four-year stint with Jimmy Martin in the 1950s. Crowe led the bluegrass group New South from 1971 until ...

, Paul Williams for "Prayer Bells of Heaven" * 2011 Gospel Recorded Performance of the Year: Doyle Lawson,

J. D. Crowe James Dee Crowe (August 27, 1937December 24, 2021) was an American banjo player and bluegrass band leader. He first became known during his four-year stint with Jimmy Martin in the 1950s. Crowe led the bluegrass group New South from 1971 until ...

, Paul Williams for "Prayer Bells of Heaven" * 2012 Hall of Fame: Doyle Lawson Profile
, ibma.org; accessed August 16, 2016.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Lawson, Doyle 1944 births American bluegrass mandolinists American male singers The Country Gentlemen members Living people National Heritage Fellowship winners People from Sullivan County, Tennessee People from Hancock County, Tennessee Singers from Tennessee Southern gospel performers Bluegrass Album Band members New South (band) members