Joe Mullins is an American banjo player, vocalist, band leader, and radio broadcaster. He plays bluegrass and gospel music.

Biography

Joe Mullins was born and raised in southwestern Ohio. His father Paul "Moon" Mullins was a respected fiddler and broadcaster of a daytime bluegrass show on Classic Country Radio for more than four decades. Mullins toured and recorded as a member of the Traditional Grass, the band he founded with his father, from 1983 until 1995. The band signed to

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 Compton. ...

and recorded four albums for the label between 1992 and 1995 following four previous independent projects on cassette. In 1995, Mullins purchased

WBZI WBZI "Real Roots Radio" is a daytime-only AM broadcasting station in Xenia, Ohio, United States, at 1500 kHz operating with 500 watts. Its current owner Town and Country Broadcasting operates it with a country oldies format serving Greene, C ...

Radio in Xenia, Ohio. He later purchased WKFI (Wilmington), WEDI (Eaton), FM 100.3 (Xenia / Dayton / Springfield), and FM 105.5 (Eaton / Dayton), of which he operates all as ''Real Roots Radio'' under Town and Country Broadcasting, Inc''.,'' having been renamed in March 2018 from ''My Classic Country''. In 1995, Mullins released ''Just A Five String & Fiddle'', an album of duets with the late fiddler Gerald Evans, with whom he'd played in Traditional Grass. In 1997, Mullins became a founding member of the band Longview, along with

Dudley Connell Dudley Connell (born February 18, 1956) is an American singer in the bluegrass tradition. He is best known for his work with the Johnson Mountain Boys, Longview, and The Seldom Scene. Biography Early years Connell grew up in Rockville, Maryland. ...

, James King,

Don Rigsby Donald Glen Rigsby is an American mandolinist, fiddler, guitarist, vocalist, and producer in the bluegrass tradition. He is known for his solo career, and for his work with the Lonesome River Band and Longview. Biography Early years Growing up ...

, Glen Duncan, and

Marshall Wilborn Marshall Wilborn is an American bluegrass music bass player and composer best known for his work with the Johnson Mountain Boys, Longview, Michael Cleveland and Flamekeeper, and the Lynn Morris Band. Biography Early years Wilborn was raised i ...

. Longview earned the

International Bluegrass Music Association The International Bluegrass Music Association, or IBMA, is a trade association to promote bluegrass music. Formed in 1985, IBMA established its first headquarters in Owensboro, Kentucky. In 1988 they announced plans to create the International ...

(IBMA) Song of the Year and Recorded Event of the Year awards. In 2006, Mullins formed his band The Radio Ramblers to promote his radio stations. Members included Adam McIntosh (guitar), Evan McGregor (fiddle), Mike Terry (mandolin), and Tim Kidd (bass). The band released their first CD in 2007 called ''Tuned In'' (independent MULLINS-3272-CD) followed by their first

release ''Rambler’s Call'' album in 2010. In 2011, Mullins released a gospel album ''Hymns from the Hills'', with

Larry Sparks Larry Sparks (born September 25, 1947) is an American Bluegrass singer and guitarist. He was the winner of the 2004 and 2005 International Bluegrass Music Association Male Vocalist of the Year Award. 2005, won IBMA for Album of the Year and Re ...

Doyle Lawson Doyle Lawson (born April 20, 1944) is an American traditional bluegrass and Southern gospel musician. He is best known as a mandolin player, vocalist, producer, and leader of the 6-man group Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver. Lawson was inducted into ...

, and

Rhonda Vincent Rhonda Lea Vincent (born July 13, 1962) is an American bluegrass singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist. Vincent's music career began when she was a child in her family's band The Sally Mountain Show, and it has spanned more than four de ...

guested. ''Playing My Song'' followed in 2012. In 2013, Mullins and Junior Sisk released ''Hall of Fame Bluegrass'', an album of duets to honor members of the Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame. Assisting were Jason Carter,

Jesse Brock Jesse Davis Brock (born July 18, 1972, in Decatur, Illinois) is a bluegrass artist who plays the mandolin and supplies both lead and supporting vocals. He records and tours with the East Tennessee based Authentic Unlimited Band, which made their ...

Rob Ickes Rob Ickes hymes with "bikes"is an American dobro (resonator guitar) player, born 1967 in San Francisco, California, United States. Ickes moved to Nashville in 1992 and joined the contemporary bluegrass band Blue Highway as a founding member in ...

, and

. On July 27, 2013, Joe Mullins and the Radio Ramblers made their Grand Ole Opry debut, and have continued to make regular appearances ever since. Mullins released the album ''Another Day From Life'' in 2014. In 2015, Mullins and the Radio Ramblers released the album ''Sacred Memories'' which featured contributions from

Ricky Skaggs Rickie Lee Skaggs (born July 18, 1954), known professionally as Ricky Skaggs, is an American neotraditional country and bluegrass singer, musician, producer, and composer. He primarily plays mandolin; however, he also plays fiddle, guitar, ma ...

, and

the Isaacs The Isaacs are a bluegrass Southern gospel music group consisting of mother Lily Isaacs (b. September 20, 1947), daughters Becky (b. Aug. 2, 1975) and Sonya Isaacs (b. July 22, 1974) and son Ben Isaacs (b. July 25, 1972), along with John Bowman (h ...

and won two IBMA awards for Gospel Recording of the Year in 2016 and 2017. In 2015, Mullins began hosting a syndicated radio show called ''Front Porch Fellowship'' on

Singing News Radio Singing News Radio is a radio format programmed and produced by Salem Radio Networks. It targets the 25-54 adult Christian listener demographic. This radio format has a carefully selected mix of Southern gospel music from artists such as The Blackwo ...

which is aired across much of the U.S. and Canada each week. Mullins released the album ''The Story We Tell'' in 2017. The Radio Ramblers included Mullins (banjo), Mike Terry (mandolin), Jason Barie (fiddle), Duane Sparks (guitar), and Randy Barnes (bass). Joe and the Radio Ramblers changed recording labels with a November 13, 2018 announcement and have released their debut album on Billy Blue Records on March 29, 2019 titled ''For the Record''. Joe is widely considered one of the world's most accomplished five-string banjo players in the traditional bluegrass style. Although primarily a

Scruggs style Scruggs style is the most common style of playing the banjo in bluegrass music. It is a fingerpicking method, also known as three-finger style. It is named after Earl Scruggs, whose innovative approach and technical mastery of the instrument hav ...

player, his playing is also influenced by the work of

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 ...

Sonny Osborne Sonny Osborne (October 29, 1937October 24, 2021) was an American bluegrass musician and founding member of the Osborne Brothers. Personal life Born on October 29, 1937 in Thousandsticks, Kentucky, Sonny Osborne's father was a farmer, teacher, ...

, and

Don Reno Donald Wesley Reno (February 21, 1926Trischka, Tony, "Don Reno", ''Banjo Song Book'', Oak Publications, 1977, – October 16, 1984) was an American bluegrass and country musician, best known as a pioneering banjo and guitar player who pa ...

. Vocal influences are apparent from the

Osborne Brothers The Osborne Brothers, Sonny (October 29, 1937 – October 24, 2021) and Bobby (born December 7, 1931), were an influential and popular bluegrass act during the 1960s and 1970s and until Sonny retired in 2005. They are probably best known for ...

and Paul Williams.

Awards

Mullins has won the following International Bluegrass Music Association ( IBMA) awards: * 1998: Song of the Year "Lonesome Old Home", Longview (artists), Ed Hamilton (songwriter), ''Longview'' (project),

Rounder Records Rounder Records is an independent record label founded in 1970 in Somerville, Massachusetts by Marian Leighton Levy, Ken Irwin, and Bill Nowlin. Focused on American roots music, Rounder's catalogue of more than 3000 titles includes records by Al ...

* 1998: Recorded Event of the Year, ''Longview'', Longview,

* 2001: Instrumental Recording of the Year award (for his participation on the collaborative album ''Knee Deep In Bluegrass'') * 2006: Album of the Year (for his work on ''Celebration of Life'' for Skaggs Family Records) * 2012: Emerging Artist of the Year - Joe Mullins and the Radio Ramblers * 2013: Liner Notes, written by Fred Bartenstein, They're Playing My Song, Joe Mullins & The Radio Ramblers (artist),

* 2016: Broadcaster of the Year - Joe Mullins * 2016: Liner Notes, written by Joe's son Daniel Mullins - The Blues Are Still The Blues, The Traditional Grass (artist),

* 2016: Gospel Recording of the Year (for the song "All Dressed Up” from his ''Sacred Memories'' album for

) * 2017: Gospel Recording of the Year (for the song "Sacred Memories" with

and Sharon White, from the ''Sacred Memories'' album for

) *2018: Liner Notes, written by Craig Havighurst - The Story We Tell, Joe Mullins and the Radio Ramblers (

) *2018: Song of the Year "If I'd Have Wrote That Song", Joe Mullins and the Radio Ramblers (artists),

Larry Cordle Larry Cordle (born November 16, 1948) is an American country and bluegrass singer-songwriter . Cordle is most famous for his song "Murder on Music Row", which was recorded by George Strait and Alan Jackson and received the Country Music Asso ...

, Larry Shell, & James Silvers (songwriters) from ''The Story We Tell'' album (

) Mullins has also been awarded by the Society for the Preservation of Bluegrass Music of America (SPBGMA) * 2011: Broadcaster of the Year - Joe Mullins * 2018: Bluegrass Gospel Group of the Year - Joe Mullins and the Radio Ramblers * 2023: Banjo Player of the Year

Other projects

Mullins organizes the Southern Ohio Indoor Music Festival each March and November at the Roberts Centre in Wilmington, Ohio. In 2014, Mullins was elected to the IBMA Board of Directors and in 2016, he was elected as Chairperson of the IBMA Board of Directors. In September 2017, Mullins was re-elected as Chairperson of the IBMA Board of Directors.

Personal life

Mullins lives near

Cedarville, Ohio Cedarville is a village in Greene County, Ohio, United States. The village is within the Dayton Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 4,019 at the 2010 census. History Cedarville was originally known as Milford, and under the latter ...

with his wife Tammy, son Daniel, and daughter Sarah. He is the son of the late Paul and Prudence Mullins, and older brother to Christy Mullins Jones.

Discography

The Traditional Grass

* 1985: ''Paul Mullins and the Traditional Grass'' (independent) * 1987: ''A Touch of the Fifties'' (independent) * 1989: ''Traditional Favorites'' (independent) * 1990: ''A Lonesome Road to Travel'' (independent) * 1992: ''Howdy Neighbor Howdy'' (

Rebel A rebel is a participant in a rebellion. Rebel or rebels may also refer to: People * Rebel (given name) * Rebel (surname) * Patriot (American Revolution), during the American Revolution * American Southerners, as a form of self-identification; s ...

) * 1993: ''10th Anniversary Collection'' (

) * 1993: ''I Believe in the Old Time Way'' (

) * 1995: ''Songs of Love and Life'' (

) * 2015: ''The Blues Are Still the Blues'' (

)

Joe Mullins and the Radio Ramblers

* 2007: ''Tuned In'' (independent MULLINS-3272-CD) * 2010: ''Rambler's Call'' (

) * 2011: ''Hymns From the Hills'' (

) * 2012: ''They're Playing My Song'' (

) * 2014: ''Another Day from Life'' (

) * 2016: ''Sacred Memories'' (

) * 2017: ''The Story We Tell'' (

) *2019: For the Record (Billy Blue Records) *2021: '' Somewhere Beyond The Blue''

Gerald Evans and Joe Mullins

* 1995: ''Just a Five-String and a Fiddle'' (

)

With Longview

* 1997: ''Longview'' (

Rounder Rounder(s) or The Rounder(s) may refer to: Film and television * ''The Rounders'' (1914 film), a comedy short * ''The Rounder'' (1930 film), a comedy short * ''The Rounders'' (1965 film), a western comedy * ''Rounders'' (film), a 1998 poker f ...

) * 1999: ''High Lonesome'' (

) * 2002: ''Lessons in Stone'' (

)

Junior Sisk and Joe Mullins

* 2013: ''Hall of Fame Bluegrass'' (

)

Joe Mullins also appears on these recordings

* 2000: ''Knee Deep in Bluegrass'' - The AcuTab Sessions CD - COMPILATION (Reissued 2005:

) * 2001: ''Travelin ''Preacher Man'' - Lawrence Bishop (Jordan Records JRD501085) * 2006: ''Celebration of Life - Musicians Against Childhood Cancer'' - COMPILATION (Skaggs Family Records) * 2008: ''Gardens in the Sky: The Bluegrass Gospel of James King'' (Rounder) with Longview * 2012: ''Musicians Against Childhood Cancer (The MACC) -'' ''Life Goes On'' - COMPILATION ( Rural Rhythm RUR1094) with

Aubrey Haynie Aubrey Haynie (born March 27, 1974) is an American bluegrass musician who plays the fiddle and mandolin. In his career, he has recorded three studio albums for the Sugar Hill Records label, all three of which contained mostly songs that he wr ...

* 2012: ''Foggy Mountain Special'' - ''A Bluegrass Tribute to

Earl Scruggs Earl Eugene Scruggs (January 6, 1924 – March 28, 2012) was an American musician noted for popularizing a three-finger banjo picking style, now called "Scruggs style", which is a defining characteristic of bluegrass music. His three-fin ...

'' - COMPILATION (

11661-0638-2) * 2013: ''The Story of the Day That I Died'' - Junior Sisk and Ramblers Choice (

) * 2014: ''Family, Friends & Fellowship - Steve Gulley'' ( Rural Rhythm) * 2017: ''Front Porch Fellowship'' - Joe Mullins Presents 20 Bluegrass Gospel Classics - COMPILATION (

) * 2017: ''Chapter 3'' - Lawson & Williams - featuring

& Paul Williams ( Mountain Home)

DVD Projects

* 2014: ''Joe Mullins & the Radio Ramblers with Special Guests the Centerville Alternative Strings'' (recorded March 9, 2013 at Centerville (Ohio) High School)

Music Instruction

* 1996: Joe Mullins ''AcuTab Transcription Vol 1''
AcuTab
* 2001: ''Knee Deep in Banjo - Banjo tabs from Knee Deep in Bluegrass AcuTab CD'' featuring the banjo playing of

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 Qui ...

, Joe Mullins,

Alan Munde Alan Munde (pronounced "mun-dee") (born November 4, 1946) is an American five-string banjo player and bluegrass musician. Biography Born in Norman, Oklahoma, Munde learned banjo from a well-regarded Oklahoman banjo player, Ed Shelton. He frequen ...

Sammy Shelor Sammy Shelor is an American banjoist in the bluegrass tradition. He is best known as leader of the Lonesome River Band and for his solo recordings, music instruction, and session work. Biography Early years The Shelor Family has a long banjo ...

Tony Trischka Anthony Cattell Trischka (born January 16, 1949) is an American five-string banjo player. Sandra Brennan wrote of him in 2021: "One of the most influential modern banjoists, both in several forms of bluegrass music and occasionally in jazz and ...

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 fami ...

and

Pete Wernick Pete Wernick (born February 25, 1946), also known as "Dr. Banjo", is an American musician. He is a five-string banjo player in the bluegrass music scene since the 1960s, founder of the Country Cooking and Hot Rize bands, Grammy nominee and educato ...

References

External links

* *
Southern Ohio Indoor Music Festival Wilmington, Ohio - Roberts Centre website
* *
Rebel Records

Front Porch Fellowship - Singing News Radio

International Bluegrass Music Associations (IBMA)Billy Blue Records
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mullins, Joe 1965 births American bluegrass musicians American country banjoists Country musicians from Ohio People from Xenia, Ohio Living people American radio personalities People from Cedarville, Ohio Longview (American band) members