The Jerry Douglas Band

Jerry Douglas is widely recognized as the greatest innovator on the Dobro in the last half century—possibly the greatest ever. He’s beendescribed as the Jimi Hendrix and the Charlie Parker of acoustic music. The New York Times has called him “Dobro’s matchless contemporary master.” He has won 16 Grammy Awards, three Country Music Association Musician of the Year citations, and 28 International Bluegrass Music Association honors, where he holds a spot in their Hall of Fame. Douglas also received a National Heritage Fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts, the nation’s highest honor for traditional artists in 2004. While he got his start in bluegrass, Douglas has made an impact in fields ranging from rock and roll to jazz, blues to Celtic, mainstream country to contemporary classical and beyond.

Born in Warren, Ohio, Jerry was exposed to music at home by his father, John, a steelworker who played bluegrass on the side. In 1963, John took his young son to a Flatt & Scruggs concert. Entranced by the sound of Uncle Josh Graves playing the Dobro, Jerry embarked on a lifelong commitment to the instrument. He taught himself to play by listening to records and sitting in with his father’s band. The Dobro is an acoustic guitar with a metal resonator that is played with a slide. It was invented by the San Diego-based Dopyera brothers in the 1920s and gained national popularity during the Hawaiian steel guitar craze of the ’20s and ’30s. The Dobro made its way through the vaudeville circuit and was eventually adopted by blues and bluegrass musicians.

In 1973, while still in high school, Douglas joined the pioneering “newgrass” band the Country Gentlemen; fellow band member Ricky Skaggs would later give Jerry his nickname, “Flux,” for the rich tone of his playing and lightning-fast style. The following year he became a member of J.D. Crowe & the New South. By the mid-’80s he was the number one Dobro artist on Nashville recording sessions, and was featured in the National Council for the Traditional Arts’ acclaimed Masters of the Steel String Guitar tours in the early 90s. Since 1998, he has been a member of Alison Krauss & Union Station as a featured soloist. They released their newest album, Arcadia, just last year after a 10-year hiatus. Whether as a soloist or bandleader for projects like the Earls of Leicester or the Jerry Douglas Band, he is a brilliant and innovative performer.

Jerry’s distinctive sound graces over 1,500 albums, with artists including Paul Simon, Bela Fleck, Reba McEntire, Yo-Yo Ma, and Ray Charles. His recording with mohan vina player Vishna Mohan Bhatt led to a following of Dobro players in India. With Scottish fiddler Aly Bain, he is co-music director of BBC Scotland’s acclaimed Transatlantic Sessions. In addition to his various projects, Douglas has co-produced and performed on a series of platinum albums. In Jackson, Jerry will be joined by his longstanding band, featuring bass, fiddle and guitar.