The Kruger Brothers is a trio of musicians who play bluegrass and new

American folk music The term American folk music encompasses numerous music genres, variously known as ''traditional music'', ''traditional folk music'', ''contemporary folk music'', ''vernacular music,'' or ''roots music''. Many traditional songs have been sung ...

. The trio consists of Jens Kruger ( banjo, harmony vocals), Uwe Kruger (

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 ...

, lead and harmony vocals) and Joel Landsberg ( bass, harmony vocals).

Career Details

Originally from Switzerland, where the trio first formed, Jens Krüger and Uwe Krüger later moved to Wilkes County, NC. The brothers began playing North American folk music at an early age and were particularly inspired by recordings of

Doc Watson Arthel Lane "Doc" Watson (March 3, 1923 – May 29, 2012) was an American guitarist, songwriter, and singer of bluegrass, folk, country, blues, and gospel music. Watson won seven Grammy awards as well as a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. W ...

Flatt and Scruggs Flatt and Scruggs were an American bluegrass duo. Singer and guitarist Lester Flatt and banjo player Earl Scruggs, both of whom had been members of Bill Monroe's band, the Bluegrass Boys, from 1945 to 1948, formed the duo in 1948. Flatt and Scru ...

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 ...

, and other progenitors of

country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. It may be a sovereign state or make up one part of a larger state. For example, the country of Japan is an independent, sovereign state, while ...

, bluegrass and

folk music Folk music is a music genre that includes traditional folk music and the contemporary genre that evolved from the former during the 20th-century folk revival. Some types of folk music may be called world music. Traditional folk music has b ...

. Their first public performances were as a duo, busking on the streets of cities throughout eastern and western Europe. Later, after gaining a recording contract as well as a radio show on SRG SSR, the Swiss public broadcaster, they teamed up with bass player Joel Landsberg, inaugurating a trio that has been playing professionally together since 1995. Landsberg is an American citizen from New York, NY. The first recording project to include Landsberg was ''Behind the Barn, Vol. 2,'' which was released in 1997. Today the group has gained the attention of some of the musicians, including

Tut Taylor Robert Arthur "Tut" Taylor Sr. (November 20, 1923 – April 9, 2015) was an American bluegrass musician. Taylor played banjo and mandolin as a child, and began playing dobro at age 14, learning to use the instrument with a distinctive flat-pick ...

, and

Bobby Hicks Bobby Hicks (born July 21, 1933) is a Grammy Awardbr>winningAmerican bluegrass fiddler and a professional musician with more than fifty years of experience. Career Hicks was born in Newton, North Carolina and learned to play the fiddle befor ...

, that once served as models. Watson once remarked that, "The Kruger Brothers are just about as fine a band as I’ve ever played with. … I ''love'' to play music with them.”

Music and Recordings

Happy Traum Happy Traum (born Harry Peter Traum, May 9, 1938, The Bronx, New York) is an American folk musician who started playing music in the 1950s and became a stalwart of the Greenwich Village music scene of the 1960s and the Woodstock music scene of t ...

has described Jens Kruger as "one of the world's most musically sophisticated and technically accomplished five-string banjo players." The recording that cemented the Kruger Brothers' sound and song writing, ''Up 18 North,'' was released in 2002 on the Double Time Inc. label. Most recently their music has ventured further into the themes and forms of classical music, as in their 2011 release, ''Appalachian Concerto''. The Kruger Brothers appear occasionally on others' recording projects, including Norman Blake, Nancy Blake, Tut Taylor's ''Shacktown Road'' (2007), and Steve Spurgin's ''Past Perfect'' (2011).

Distinctions and awards

* On September 27, 2013, the Kruger Brothers appeared on the Late Show with David Letterman. They performed their instrumental piece "Jack of the Wood" with the Kontras Quartet and Steve Martin, who played clawhammer banjo. After the performance, Jens was awarded a statuette commemorating his receipt of the Steve Martin Prize for Excellence in Banjo and Bluegrass Music. * In September 2013, Jens Kruger was named as the 2013 recipient of the Steve Martin Prize for Excellence in Banjo and Bluegrass Music. * In 2011 Jens Kruger was cited for induction into th
Blue Ridge Music Hall of Fame
in the category of Regional Musician. * In 2007 the Bangor Symphony Orchestra and the Kruger Brothers received an award for Artistic Excellence from 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 ...

. The award was granted in support of the production of Jens Kruger's ''Music From the Spring.''

Discography

* ''Carolina Roots'' with the Keiser Twins (2021) * ''Roan Mountain Suite'' (2017) * ''Lucid Dreamer'' (2015) * ''Spirit of the Rockies'' (2014) * ''Remembering Doc Watson'' (2013) * ''Best of the Kruger Brothers'' (2012) * ''Appalachian Concerto'' (2011) * ''Christmas Magic'' (2010) * ''Forever and a Day'' (2010) * ''Between the Notes'' (2009) * ''The Suite'' (2007) * ''Carolina Scrapbook: Gospel Edition'' (2006) * ''Carolina Scrapbook Vol. 2'' (2006) * ''Choices'' (2004) * ''Up 18 North'' (2002) * ''Carolina Scrapbook'' (1999) * ''Travel the Gravel'' (1998) * ''Behind the Barn Vol. 2'' (1997) * ''Access all Areas'' (1996) * ''Behind the Barn'' (1995)

Video Recordings

* ''Wood in the Whisky'' (2018) * ''Beautiful Nothing The Kruger Brothers'' (Documentary, 2015) * ''Jens Kruger's Banjo Method for Beginners'' (2009) * ''The Banjo Techniques of Jens Kruger - Developing Skills, Creativity and Musicianship'' (2006)

References

External links

Kruger Brothers official siteNAMM Oral History Interview with Jens Kruger
August 24, 2011 {{Authority control American folk musical groups