March

Who is this bluegrass child prodigy?

This mandolin picker and singer is the son of a bluegrass pioneer. He was a musical prodigy, performing in his father's band when he was still so little he needed to stand on a milk crate to reach the microphone.

That was in the 1950s. Since then, he has performed and recorded with the likes of Johnny Cash, Conway Twitty, Merle Haggard, Willie Nelson, Mel Tillis, and the Osborne Brothers. In the 1990s, he formed a trio with his brothers, Dale and Don Wayne. Currently, he fronts his own band.

He is also involved in the BlueHighways TV network, which broadcasts bluegrass music all over America via satellite as well as on 25 cable networks.

Significant March dates in bluegrass history

• 3rd: Doc Watson was born (1923)
• 4th: John Duffey, of the Country Gentlemen and the Seldom Scene, was born (1934)
• 15th: Last public performance by Bill Monroe, Friday Night Opry, Nashville (1996)
• 16th: Tim O'Brien (1954) and Ronnie McCoury (1967) were born
• 19th: Randall Hylton died (2001)
• 23rd: David Grisman was born (1945)
• 28th: Earl Scruggs died (2012)
• 29th: Mike Lantz, mandolinist for Front Range, died (2006)