Jerry Douglas

Jerry Douglas is one of the most acclaimed dobro players in modern-day roots music, celebrated for his work as a solo artist, bandleader, sideman, and member of groups like Alison Krauss and Union Station. Born as "Gerald Calvin Douglas" on May 28, 1956, he spent his childhood in Warren, Ohio, where he began playing the dobro at eight years old. By the late 1970s, Jerry Douglas had established himself as a go-to instrumentalist for artists like Ricky Skaggs, Tony Rice, and J.D. Crowe & the New South. He also launched a solo career with 1979's Fluxology, an album that introduced his mix of bluegrass traditionalism and progressive innovation. Although he won his first Grammy Award in 1983 and continued releasing solo records like 1987's Changing Channels during the final stretch of the 20th century, Jerry Douglas' career truly blossomed during the 2000s. A full-time member of Alison Krauss and Union Station since 1998, he appeared on albums like 2002's double-platinum Live and 2004's Lonely Runs Both Ways, both of which won multiple Grammys. He also contributed to the Oh Brother, Where Art Thou? soundtrack, which topped the Billboard 200 in 2001, and collaborated with a wide range of artists, including Mumford & Sons, Garth Brooks, Elvis Costello, and Phish. Those accolades only increased his visibility as a solo artist, resulting in a run of Top 10 solo albums — as well as two Number 1 records, 2012's Traveler and 2017's What If — on Billboard's bluegrass chart. He found similar success as the leader of a bluegrass supergroup, The Earls of Leicester, whose self-titled album topped the bluegrass chart in 2014 and won a Grammy. In 2024, he released his first solo album in twelve years, The Set, featuring a collaboration with Aoife O'Donovan.