Jesse Lester McReynolds (born July 9, 1929) is an American

bluegrass music Bluegrass music is a genre of American roots music The term American folk music encompasses numerous music genres, variously known as ''traditional music'', ''traditional folk music'', ''contemporary folk music'', ''vernacular music,'' or ...

ian. He is best known for his innovative

crosspicking Crosspicking is a technique for playing the mandolin or guitar using a plectrum or flatpick in a rolling, syncopated style across three strings. This style is probably best known as one element of the flatpicking style in bluegrass music, and it clo ...

and split-string styles of

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 ...

playing.

Biography

McReynolds was born in

Coeburn, Virginia Coeburn is a town in Wise County, Virginia, United States, along the Guest River. The population was 2,139 at the 2010 census. History The Town of Coeburn was originally named Guest Station after explorer and surveyor Christopher Gist. Gist wr ...

. He and his brother Jim begin performing together in or around 1947. They originally performed under the name, "The McReynolds Brothers." In 1951, Jesse and Jim, joined by Larry Roll on guitar, made their first recording, ten gospel songs for Kentucky Records under the name "The Virginia Trio". In 1952, Jim and Jesse signed with Capitol Records, who asked them to change their name from the "McReynolds Brothers," so they started recording under the name "

Jim and Jesse Jim & Jesse were an American bluegrass music duo composed of brothers Jim McReynolds (February 13, 1927 – December 31, 2002) and Jesse McReynolds (born July 9, 1929). The two were born and raised in Carfax, a community near Coeburn, Virginia, ...

and the Virginia Boys.". They recorded 20 songs for Capitol over three sessions in 1952, 1953, and 1955. During this time (1952-1954), Jesse also served in the US Army in Korea (they recorded sessions in 1953 while he was on leave). While serving in Korea, he and

Charlie Louvin Charles Elzer Loudermilk (July 7, 1927 – January 26, 2011), known professionally as Charlie Louvin, was an American country music singer and songwriter. He is best known as one of the Louvin Brothers, and was a member of the Grand Ole Opry ...

of the

Louvin Brothers The Louvin Brothers were an American musical duo composed of brothers Ira Louvin, Ira and Charlie Louvin (''né'' Loudermilk). The brothers are cousins to John D. Loudermilk, a Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame member. The brothers wrote and p ...

(who was also serving in Korea) formed a band called the "Dusty Roads Boys" and played regular concerts for other troops. After Jesse's return from Korea,

continued to perform and release albums until Jim's death from cancer in 2002. McReynolds is married to his wife, Joy. Since 2002, Jesse has continued to perform and record as a solo artist. McReynolds plays between 60 and 70 shows each year. Jim and Jesse became members of the Grand Ole Opry in 1964; Jesse continues to maintain the duo's Opry membership since Jim's death in 2001. He became the oldest standing Opry member in March 2020, following the death of fellow Opry member

Jan Howard Jan Howard (born Lula Grace Johnson; March 13, 1929 – March 28, 2020) was an American country music singer and songwriter. As a singer, she placed 30 singles on the ''Billboard'' country songs chart, was a Grand Ole Opry member and was nomin ...

. In 2019, he celebrated his 55th anniversary as a member of the Opry. In January 2017 he appeared on the CMT network show ''

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 ...

'' as a blind singer who inspires the character

Rayna Jaymes Rayna Alisia Jaymes (née Wyatt; previously Conrad) is a fictional character and one of the two leads in the American Broadcasting Company, ABC/CMT (U.S. TV channel), CMT musical drama series ''Nashville (2012 TV series), Nashville.'' Rayna has b ...

(played by

Connie Britton Constance Elaine Britton ( Womack; born March 6, 1967) is an American actress. Britton made her feature film debut in the independent comedy-drama film ''The Brothers McMullen'' (1995), and the following year, she was cast as Nikki Faber on the ...

Honors

* Member of 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 ...

since 1964 * Inducted into

International Bluegrass Music Hall of Honor Induction to the International Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame, called the International Bluegrass Music Hall of Honor from its creation in 1991 through 2006, is managed by the International Bluegrass Music Association, and the Hall itself is mainta ...

in 1993 * Awarded National Heritage Fellowship Award in 1997 * ''Bending the Rules'' nominated for "Best Instrumental Recording of the Year" from 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 ...

in 2005.

RecordingsRecordings after 1979 from Old Dominion Masters liner notes

References

External links

*
Interview with Jesse McReynolds for the NAMM (National Association of Music Merchants) Oral History Program
July 23, 2011 {{DEFAULTSORT:McReynolds, Jesse 1929 births Living people American bluegrass mandolinists American country singer-songwriters Grand Ole Opry members People from Coeburn, Virginia Singer-songwriters from Virginia