New Grass Revival

• Genre: Progressive Bluegrass
• Hometown: Louisville

About

This band was started in 1971 by mandolinist Sam Bush. Successfully blending a deep knowledge of traditional Bluegrass music and virtuoso musicianship with a sense of musical adventurousness, New Grass Revival incorporated many different styles of music into their sound, including jazz, rock, Celtic and Eastern music. The band's take on Bluegrass was successful enough for the word "newgrass" to become synonymous with a new type of Bluegrass fusion. The band recorded a number of albums before breaking up in the late '80s. Former banjoist Bela Fleck has found unprecedented success with his eclectic group the Flecktones, and all of the other members remain highly active A-list studio and touring players.

- Tom Heyman