Monday, August 27, 2018

Birth Dates of Notable Kentuckians: August 27, 1937 – J.D. Crowe









Image from bluegrasstoday.com




From The Kentucky Encyclopedia -
The son of Orval and Bessie Lee (Nichols) Crowe, James Dee Crowe, country banjoist and bandleader, was born in Lexington, Kentucky on August 27, 1937. He attended Nicholasville High School and received a general education development diploma from Lafayette High School in 1967. In 1951 Crowe received his first banjo and began learning to play it by watching Earl Scruggs, who was featured in the Kentucky Mountain Barn Dance at Clay Wachs Arena in Lexington. In 1956 Crowe joined Jimmy Martin's band and spent five years on the road before returning to Lexington. By 1964 Crowe had formed his own band, the Kentucky Mountain Boys, which included at various times Doyle Lawson, Bobby Sloan, Red Allen, Bob Morris, and Larry Rice. In 1971 Crowe changed the group's name to J.D. Crowe and the New South. When the group disbanded in 1975, members of the New South included Crowe (banjo), Bobby Sloan (bass), Tony Rice (guitar), Ricky Skaggs (mandolin), and Jerry ("Flux") Douglas (dobro). Crowe and the New South were instrumental in developing bluegrass music through the use of drums, steel pedal guitar, and an extended repertoire. Crowe retired from active playing in 1987.

RON PEN, Entry Author

Selected Sources from UK Libraries:

Crowe, J., & New South. (1986). J.D. Crowe and the New South. Cambridge, MA: Rounder.
Fine Arts Library Media Center CD7603

Sharp, T., Crowe, J., & Kentucky Mountain Boys. (1970). Tip Sharp and the Ky. Mountain Boys. Lexington, Ky.]: REM Records.
Fine Arts Library Media Center LP7463

Skaggs, Monroe, Martin, Wiseman, Stanley, Crowe, . . . Time-Life Music. (2002). Time-Life's treasury of bluegrass (Special ed.). Richmond, VA : Universal City, CA: Time-Life Music ; Manufactured by Universal Music Enterprises.
Fine Arts Library Media Center CD8845

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