The Grascals are a six-piece American bluegrass band from

Nashville, Tennessee 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 ...

. Founded in February 2004, the band has gained a level of fame by playing on the Grand Ole Opry and bluegrass festivals around the country, as well as with

Dolly Parton Dolly Rebecca Parton (born January 19, 1946) is an American singer-songwriter, actress, philanthropist, and businesswoman, known primarily for her work in country music. After achieving success as a songwriter for others, Parton made her album d ...

Members

*Terry Smith -

upright bass The double bass (), also known simply as the bass () (or by other names), is the largest and lowest-pitched bowed (or plucked) string instrument in the modern symphony orchestra (excluding unorthodox additions such as the octobass). Similar ...

vocals Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or withou ...

*Danny Roberts - mandolin *Kristin Scott Benson - banjo *Adam Haynes - fiddle *John Bryan -

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 ...

*Jamie Johnson -

Terry Smith

Terry Smith was born June 15, 1960, in Reidsville, North Carolina. He moved to Nashville in his early teens, after starting out playing in a family band with his mother Hazel Smith, father Patrick Smith, and brother, Billy Smith. Terry has played with such legends as Jimmy Martin, Wilma Lee Cooper, and 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 ...

. Terry and his brother, Billy, recorded an album for

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainm ...

Records, which evolved to a number one video on CMT with "Blues Stay Away From Me." After touring with Grand Ole Opry member

Mike Snider Mike Snider is a comedy writer Comedy is a genre of fiction that consists of discourses or works intended to be humorous or amusing by inducing laughter, especially in theatre, film, stand-up comedy, television, radio, books, or any other ente ...

, Terry joined the Grascals and remains as a founding member.

Danny Roberts

Danny Roberts started playing guitar to back up Jimmy Mattingly when they were growing up in

Leitchfield, Kentucky Leitchfield is the county seat of Grayson County, Kentucky, United States. Leitchfield is a home rule-class city with a population of 6,404 as of the 2020 census. History The town was named for Major David Leitch, an aide to Gen. George Washi ...

. He began to win contests for his guitar playing, and eventually, mandolin. In 1982, he co-founded the New Tradition, bluegrass/

gospel Gospel originally meant the Christian message (" the gospel"), but in the 2nd century it came to be used also for the books in which the message was set out. In this sense a gospel can be defined as a loose-knit, episodic narrative of the words a ...

group that toured the country for close to 20 years. The band recorded 10 CDs, made "Seed of Love" song, the first bluegrass video to feature the banjo, and even reached number one on the TNN channel. That band broke up in 2000, but Danny still continued to play with others including Marty Raybon, Larry Cordle, and

Melonie Cannon Melonie Cannon is an American singer, blending country and bluegrass on her solo albums and session work. Willie Nelson said, "Melonie Cannon is one of the best singers I know." Biography Early years Cannon was born in Jackson, Tennessee, but her ...

. He also joined Ronnie Reno's band, the Reno Tradition. Danny joined the Grascals as a founding member, where he was reunited with Jimmy Mattingly.

Kristin Scott Benson

Kristin Scott Benson grew up in South Carolina in a musical family and joined the Grascals in January 2009. She worked previously with Petticoat Junction, Larry Cordle & Lonesome Standard Time and the Larry Stephenson Band. She has won the IBMA and SPBGMA Banjo Player of the Year numerous times. In September 2018, she was chosen as the recipient of the ''

Steve Martin Stephen Glenn Martin (born August 14, 1945) is an American actor, comedian, writer, producer, and musician. He has won five Grammy Awards, a Primetime Emmy Award, and was awarded an Honorary Academy Award in 2013. Additionally, he was nominate ...

Prize for Excellence'' in Banjo and Bluegrass with a $50,000 reward. Kristin is married to IIIrd Tyme Out mandolin player Wayne Benson.

Adam Haynes

Adam Haynes has an impressive pedigree having played with some of the finest: Melvin Goins & Windy Mountain, The James King Band, David Parmley & Continental Divide, Dailey & Vincent, Larry Stephenson Band, and most recently Grasstowne. Adam is originally from Norwalk, Ohio, but spent quite some time in Eastern Kentucky where his family has roots. Adam currently makes his home in Portland, Tennessee. He joined the Grascals in October 2013.

John Bryan

John Bryan sings lead vocals and plays guitar with the Grascals. He’s been playing and singing bluegrass since he was a teen, with a deep, family connection to the music. John’s great grandfather, Willard Watson, was a first cousin to Doc, and a fine old-time musician and dancer in his own right. John was formerly with Larry Efaw and The Bluegrass Mountaineers is when he joined the Grascals in April 2015.

Jamie Johnson

Jamie Johnson was an original founding member since February 2004. He was raised in Indiana and now makes his home in Hendersonville, TN. After an eight-year break, he has returned to the band on guitar and vocals. The band is looking forward to singing and traveling with Jamie again and performing the incredible songs he has written.

Line Up Changes

* December 2006: Dave Talbot left and was replaced by Aaron McDaris on banjo beginning in 2007. * July 2008: Jimmy Mattingly left and was replaced by Jeremy Abshire on fiddle. * January 2009: Aaron McDaris left and was replaced by Kristin Scott Benson on banjo. * October 2013: Jeremy Abshire left and was replaced by Adam Haynes on fiddle. * April 2015: Jamie Johnson left and was replaced by John Bryan on guitar and vocals. * February 2019: Terry Eldredge left and former member Jamie Johnson returned for a few months filling the void. *May 2019: Chris Davis joined the band on guitar and vocals. *September 2022: Chris Davis departed the Grascals, 9/24/2022, playing his final show with the band at the LeConte Center, Pigeon Forge, TN *December 2022: Jamie Johnson, beloved Grascal alumni and founding member, has returned to the band following an eight-year hiatus.

History

The original concept of the Grascals occurred when the four core members, Terry Eldredge, Jamie Johnson, Jimmy Mattingly, and Dave Talbot, asked Terry Smith and Danny Roberts to join a new group they were wanting to start. They played one of their first shows at the Station Inn in February 2004 with special guest

Bobby Osborne Bobby Osborne (born December 7, 1931) is an American bluegrass musician. He is the co-founder (with his brother Sonny Osborne) of the Osborne Brothers and a member of the Grand Ole Opry and the International Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame. He also ...

. The Grascals began recording their first album in 2004, which would simply be a self-titled album on Rounder Records. This album featured such songs as "Me and John and Paul" written by

Harley Allen Harley Lee Allen (January 23, 1956March 30, 2011) was an American bluegrass and country singer and songwriter. Early life Allen was born in Dayton, Ohio, the son of bluegrass performer Red Allen. Discography Studio albums Singles Musi ...

, "

Where Corn Don't Grow "Where Corn Don't Grow" is a song written by Roger Murrah and Mark Alan Springer. It was first recorded by Waylon Jennings on his 1990 album ''The Eagle'', peaking at #67 on the country singles charts that year. Six years later, Travis Tritt J ...

" and another popular cover song, "Viva Las Vegas," which featured Dolly Parton. During the recording,

showed interest in wanting to play with the Grascals. The band soon became Dolly's opening act, as well as her bluegrass band. Performing at

Dollywood Dollywood is a theme park jointly owned by entertainer Dolly Parton and Herschend Family Entertainment. It is located in the Knoxville metropolitan area in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, near the gateway to The Great Smoky Mountains. Hosting nearly ...

and the Grand Ole Opry, the band and Dolly played a cover version of Elvis's song, "Viva Las Vegas." The first album made it on to the Billboard charts, as well as many country and bluegrass charts. Also on the album cover, Dolly is quoted saying, "One of the greatest albums I've ever heard."

Noteworthy Accomplishments

* 2004–Present: The Grascals have appeared on the stage of the Grand Ole Opry many times as a band. *April 2, 2006: Performed at the Millennium Stage at the

John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts (formally known as the John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts, and commonly referred to as the Kennedy Center) is the United States National Cultural Center, located on the Potom ...

in Washington, DC. The concert was part of the Center's C''ountry: A Celebration of America's Music'' series. *August 2006: The album ''Long List of Heartaches'' was released and featured many guests including

George Jones George Glenn Jones (September 12, 1931 – April 26, 2013) was an American country musician, singer, and songwriter. He achieved international fame for his long list of hit records, including his best-known song " He Stopped Loving Her Today", ...

The Jordanaires The Jordanaires were an American vocal quartet that formed as a gospel group in 1948. Over the years, they recorded both sacred and secular music for recording companies such as Capitol Records, RCA Victor, Columbia Records, Decca Records, Vocal ...

Steve Wariner Steven Noel Wariner (born December 25, 1954) is an American country music singer, songwriter, and guitarist. Initially a backing musician for Dottie West, he also worked with Bob Luman and Chet Atkins before beginning a solo career in the late ...

, and

Dierks Bentley Frederick Dierks Bentley (; born November 20, 1975) is an American country music singer and songwriter. In 2003, he signed to Capitol Nashville and released his eponymous debut album. Both it and its follow-up, 2005's '' Modern Day Drifter'', a ...

. * 2006: Recorded with friend Dierks Bentley on "Prodigal Son's Prayer" on his CD ''

Long Trip Alone ''Long Trip Alone'' is the third studio album by American country music artist Dierks Bentley. It was released October 17, 2006 by Capitol Records Nashville. The album produced four singles on the U.S. '' Billboard'' Hot Country Songs charts: " ...

'' *October 2006: Country Gold Tour to Japan *November 19, 2006: Appeared on Hazel Smith's ''Southern Fried Flicks'' on CMT. *March 13, 2007: Appeared with Dierks Bentley on the '' Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson''. *2008: Filmed Bill & Gloria Gaither & Their Homecoming Friends ''Country Bluegrass Homecoming''. *July 5, 2008: Interviewed on CBS ''Early Show''''.'' *July 15, 2008: ''Keep on Walkin CD released with guest

Vince Gill Vincent Grant Gill (born April 12, 1957) is an American country music singer, songwriter and musician. He has achieved commercial success and fame both as frontman of the country rock band Pure Prairie League in the 1970s and as a solo artist ...

on "Sad Wind Sighs." *November 25, 2008: Performed for the Fort Campbell, KY Troops and

President of the United States The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States ...

George W. Bush George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Republican Party, Bush family, and son of the 41st president George H. W. Bush, he ...

. *December 2, 2008: Performed for

and First Lady Laura Bush in Washington DC. *September 2009: Exxon Mobil Delvac sponsored the band and wrapped their bus in their logo. *September 7, 2009: Appeared on the '' Jerry Lewis Labor Day Telethon'' in Las Vegas, NV to support Muscular Dystrophy. *April 2, 2010: Joined the

Hank Williams Jr. Randall Hank Williams (born May 26, 1949), known professionally as Hank Williams Jr. or Bocephus, is an American singer-songwriter and musician. His musical style is often considered a blend of southern rock, blues, and country. He is the son of ...

''Rowdy Friends Tour'' including Hank,

Jamey Johnson Jamey Johnson (born July 14, 1975) is an American country music singer and songwriter. Signed to BNA Records in 2005, Johnson made his debut with his single " The Dollar", the title track to his 2006 album '' The Dollar''. He was dropped fro ...

, and

Eric Church Kenneth Eric Church (born May 3, 1977) is an American country music singer-songwriter. He has released nine studio albums through Capitol Nashville since 2005. His debut album, 2006's '' Sinners Like Me'', produced three singles on the ''Billboar ...

for the month of April 2010. *July 8, 2010: Performed at the Bluegrass Nights at the

Ryman Auditorium Ryman Auditorium (also known as Grand Ole Opry House and Union Gospel Tabernacle) is a 2,362-seat live-performance venue located at 116 Rep. John Lewis Way North, in Nashville, Tennessee. It is best known as the home of the ''Grand Ole Opry'' fr ...

, Nashville, TN *September 19, 2010: Sang the National Anthem for the

Tennessee Titans The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee. The Titans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) South division, and play their hom ...

vs. the Pittsburgh Steelers at Nashville's

LP Field Nissan Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. Owned by the Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County, it is primarily used for football and is the home field of the Tennessee Titans of the Nati ...

. *January 10, 2011: Released a CD Project for

Cracker Barrel Cracker Barrel Old Country Store, Inc., doing business as simply Cracker Barrel, is an American chain of restaurant and gift stores with a Southern country theme. The company was founded by Dan Evins in 1969. Its first store was in Lebanon, ...

with an all-star guest list called ''The Grascals & Friends – Country Classics With A Bluegrass Spin''. Guest artists included: Brad Paisley,

Charlie Daniels Charles Edward Daniels (October 28, 1936 – July 6, 2020) was an American singer, musician, and songwriter. His music fused rock, country, blues and jazz, pioneering Southern rock. He was best known for his number-one country hit "The De ...

The Oak Ridge Boys The Oak Ridge Boys are an American country and gospel vocal quartet originating in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. The group was founded in the 1940s as the Oak Ridge Quartet. They became popular in Southern gospel during the 1950s. Their name was chang ...

Darryl Worley Darryl Wade Worley (born October 31, 1964) is an American country music singer and songwriter. Signed to DreamWorks Records Nashville in 1999, Worley released four albums for the label: ''Hard Rain Don't Last'' (2000), '' I Miss My Friend'' (20 ...

Terri Clark Terri Lynn Sauson, known professionally as Terri Clark, born August 5, 1968, is a Canadian country music singer who has had success in both Canada and the United States. Signed to Mercury Records in 1995, she released her self-titled debut that ...

Randy Owen Randy Yeuell Owen (born December 13, 1949) is an American country music artist. He is best known for his role as the lead singer of Alabama, a country rock band that saw tremendous mainstream success throughout the 1980s and 1990s. Alabama became ...

Steven Seagal Steven Frederic Seagal (; born April 10, 1952) is an American actor, screenwriter and martial artist. A 7th-dan black belt in aikido, he began his adult life as a martial arts instructor in Japan and eventually ended up running his father-in-l ...

Tom T. Hall Thomas Hall (May 25, 1936 – August 20, 2021), known professionally as Tom T. Hall and informally nicknamed "the Storyteller," was an American country music singer-songwriter and short-story author. He wrote 12 No. 1 hit songs, with 26 more ...

Joe Nichols Joseph Edward Nichols (born November 26, 1976) is an American country music artist. Between 1996 and 2001, he held recording contracts with the Intersound and Giant Records (Warner), Giant labels. In 2002, he signed with Universal South Records, ...

and Ansley McLaurin. *January 23, 2011: Appeared on Sunday's

Fox & Friends ''Fox & Friends'' is an American daily morning news and talk program that airs on Fox News. It premiered on February 1, 1998, and is currently hosted by Steve Doocy, Ainsley Earhardt and Brian Kilmeade on weekdays. Will Cain, Rachel Campos- ...

. *March 2011: Mayberry's Finest sponsored the band with a bus wrap and a CD Project called ''Dance 'til Your Stockings Are Hot and Ravelin. *April 12, 2011: Appeared on

on '' The Talk.'' *January 11, 2012: Grascals sign with Mountain Home. *August 2012: Vietti Chili sponsored the Grascals and featured their photo on their products as well as a bus wrap. *January 21, 2013: Performed Monday, 7:00 p.m. EST at the

Smithsonian Institution The Smithsonian Institution ( ), or simply the Smithsonian, is a group of museums and education and research centers, the largest such complex in the world, created by the U.S. government "for the increase and diffusion of knowledge". Founded ...

National Museum of the American Indian The National Museum of the American Indian is a museum in the United States devoted to the culture of the indigenous peoples of the Americas. It is part of the Smithsonian Institution group of museums and research centers. The museum has three ...

for a celebration of the Inauguration of the

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Obama was the first African-American president of the ...

. *January 25, 2013: Appeared on the ''Tonight Show with Jay Leno''.br>
*February 27, 2013: Appeared with

Marie Osmond Olive Marie Osmond (born October 13, 1959) is an American singer, actress, television host, and a member of the show business family the Osmonds. Although she was never part of her family's singing group, she gained success as a country and pop ...

on her talk show ''

Marie Marie may refer to: People Name * Marie (given name) * Marie (Japanese given name) * Marie (murder victim), girl who was killed in Florida after being pushed in front of a moving vehicle in 1973 * Marie (died 1759), an enslaved Cree person in Tr ...

''. *November 2013: Recorded a music video with guest country artist

and Mike Wolfe from

History Channel History (formerly The History Channel from January 1, 1995 to February 15, 2008, stylized as HISTORY) is an American pay television network and flagship channel owned by A&E Networks, a joint venture between Hearst Communications and the Disney ...

's ''

American Pickers ''American Pickers'' is an American reality television series that premiered on January 18, 2010 on History, produced by A&E Television Networks in collaboration with Cineflix Media. In the series, the hosts travel across America in search of r ...

''. *June 2013: The Grascals to Appear on Chevrolet Riverfront Stage during the 2013 CMA Music Festival *September 6, 2014: Appeared on PBS Song of the Mountains, Season 9, Episode 10. *June 2, 2015: The band signed with the Andrea Roberts Agency for bluegrass bookings. *September 2018: Grascals banjo player, Kristin Scott Benson, was the 2018 recipient of the ''

Prize for Excellence'' ''in Banjo and Bluegrass'' with $50,000 rewar

Awards

IBMA

The Grascals have won the following 10 International Bluegrass Music Association ( International Bluegrass Music Awards, IBMA) awards. * 2005 Emerging Artist of the Year - The Grascals * 2005 Song of the Year “Me and John and Paul”, The Grascals (artists), Harley Allen (songwriter) * 2006 Album of the Year - Celebration of Life: Musicians Against Childhood Cancer (Compilation Project/Various Artists), Skaggs Family Records * 2006 Entertainer of the Year - The Grascals * 2007 Entertainer of the Year - The Grascals * 2008 Banjo Performer of the Year - Kristin Scott Benson * 2009 Banjo Performer of the Year - Kristin Scott Benson * 2010 Banjo Performer of the Year - Kristin Scott Benson * 2011 Banjo Performer of the Year (tie) - Kristin Scott Benson *2019 Banjo Performer of the Year - Kristin Scott Benson

SPBGMA (Society of the Preservation of Bluegrass Music of America)

The Grascals have also been awarded these 28 awards by the Society for the Preservation of Bluegrass Music of America (SPBGMA). * 2006 Song of the Year - ''Me and John and Paul'' by The Grascals for Rounder Records * 2006 Bluegrass Album of the Year - ''The Grascals'' by The Grascals for Rounder Records * 2006 Mandolin Performer of the Year - Danny Roberts * 2006 Instrumental Group of the Year - The Grascals * 2007 Instrumental Group of the Year - The Grascals * 2007 Bluegrass Band of the Year (Overall) - The Grascals * 2008 Mandolin Performer of the Year - Danny Roberts * 2008 Instrumental Group of the Year - The Grascals * 2008 Bluegrass Band of the Year (Overall) - The Grascals * 2009 Bluegrass Album of the Year - ''Keep On Walkin by The Grascals for Rounder Records * 2009 Banjo Performer of the Year - Kristin Scott Benson * 2009 Instrumental Group of the Year - The Grascals * 2010 Bluegrass Band of the Year (Overall) - The Grascals * 2011 Mandolin Performer of the Year - Danny Roberts * 2011 Banjo Performer of the Year - Kristin Scott Benson * 2011 Instrumental Group of the Year - The Grascals * 2012 Banjo Performer of the Year - Kristin Scott Benson * 2012 Instrumental Group of the Year - The Grascals * 2013 Instrumental Group of the Year - The Grascals * 2014 Mandolin Performer of the Year - Danny Roberts * 2015 Mandolin Performer of the Year - Danny Roberts * 2015 Instrumental Group of the Year - The Grascals * 2016 Mandolin Performer of the Year - Danny Roberts * 2017 Mandolin Performer of the Year - Danny Roberts (Tie) * 2018 Banjo Performer of the Year - Kristin Scott Benson * 2019 Banjo Performer of the Year - Kristin Scott Benson * 2019 Bluegrass Band of the Year (Overall) - The Grascals * 2019 Instrumental Group of the Year - The Grascals * 2022 Bass Performer of the Year - Terry Smith

Grammy Nominations

The Grascals have received three (3) Grammy Nominations for the following: * 2005 BEST BLUEGRASS ALBUM - ''The Grascals'' (Rounder Records) * 2006 BEST BLUEGRASS ALBUM - ''Long List Of Heartaches'' (Rounder Records) * 2012 BEST BLUEGRASS ALBUM - ''Life Finds A Way'' (Mountain Home)

Miscellaneous Honors and Awards

* 2016 Smithville Fiddlers Jamboree - Blue Blaze Award for “actively cultivating a love of bluegrass music.” - Danny Roberts * 2017 Uncle Dave Macon Days - Trailblazer Award - The Grascals *2018 Steve Martin Prize for Excellence in Banjo and Bluegrass - Kristin Scott Benson

Discography

Albums

Music Videos

References

External links

*
Andrea Roberts AgencyMountain Home Music CompanyRounder RecordsHank Williams Jr
{{DEFAULTSORT:Grascals, The American bluegrass music groups Musical groups from Nashville, Tennessee Musical groups established in 2004