J. D. Crowe - # 275

Legendary bluegrass banjo player, Lexington native J.D. Crowe has died

 

He was number 275 on the list.

Legendary bluegrass banjo player J.D. Crowe has died, reports say.

A Lexington native, Crowe began his bluegrass career in the 1950s with the Sunny Mountain Boys. He later formed the Kentucky Mountain Boys. In 1971, he changed the name of the group to The New South, which many consider one of the most influential bluegrass groups.

According to a report from Bluegrass Today, Crowe was briefly hospitalized in November and had been in a rehab facility.

He was 84.

    Reports say legendary Bluegrass musician JD Crowe has died. I had the honor of introducing and interviewing him over the years... RIP https://t.co/MHx2472VRc

    — Bill Bryant (@kynewsmakers) December 24, 2021

His 1st job playing music was given to him by Raymond "Curly" Parker when he was only a teenager. He first became known during his four-year stint with Jimmy Martin in the 1950s.

Crowe began playing the banjo early on and was offered a job with Jimmy Martin's Sunny Mountain Boys in 1954. He recorded with Jimmy Martin between 1956 and 1960. In 1961, Crowe formed the Kentucky Mountain Boys, principally performing in the Lexington region.

In 1971, Crowe changed the band's name to The New South and included material from rock and country music sources. Crowe's New South band is widely considered one of the most influential bluegrass groups since the 1970s.

Kentucky Educational Television in 2008 aired a biography of James Dee Crowe, A Kentucky Treasure: The James Dee Crowe Story, produced by H. Russell Farmer.

Crowe received the Bluegrass Star Award, presented by the Bluegrass Heritage Foundation of Dallas, Texas, on October 15, 2011. The award is bestowed upon bluegrass artists who do an exemplary job of advancing traditional bluegrass music and bringing it to new audiences while preserving its character and heritage.

Discography

 

    1968: Bluegrass Holiday (Lemco)

    1969: The Model Church (Lemco)

    1971: Ramblin' Boy (Lemco) – reissued as Blackjack (Rebel)

    1973: Bluegrass Evolution (Starday)

    1973: Bluegrass Holiday (King Bluegrass)

    1975: J.D. Crowe & The New South (Rounder)

    1977: You Can Share My Blanket (Rounder)

    1978: My Home Ain't in the Hall of Fame (Rounder)

    1981: Somewhere Between (Rounder)

    1982: Live in Japan (Rounder)

    1986: Straight Ahead (Rounder)

    1994: Flashback (Rounder)

    1999: Come on Down to My World (Rounder)

    2006: Lefty's Old Guitar (Rounder)

Crowe took part in a brief banjo jam session on the episode "Sawmill Slasher" of the Animal Planet television series Call of the Wildman which aired August 5, 2012.

On September 6, 2014, Crowe came out of retirement and performed with Wildfire at the historic Lincoln Theatre in Marion, Virginia, for the Song of the Mountains PBS program.

He has also been featured on Tim Farmer's television show, Homemade Jam in Episode 101.

On September 21, 2015, Crowe was the featured guest on the radio series "An Intimate Evening With Eddie Stubbs" for WSM (AM) at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in Nashville, TN.