Died On This Date (December 31, 2002) Jim McReynolds / Bluegrass Great; Jim & Jesse
themusicsover Jim McReynolds
February 13, 1927 – December 31, 2002
Jim McReynolds was a guitarist and singer who, with his brother, Jesse McReynolds, made up a popular bluegrass duo, Jim & Jesse. Whether working just side-by-side, or within the confines of their group, the Virginia Boys, the McReynolds brothers were the longest running musical duo in history, with a career that lasted over 55 years. Over the years, the Virginia Boys included such musical greats as Vassar Clements, Carl Jackson, and Earl Scruggs. By the early ’50s, Jim & Jesse were recording for Capitol Records, and later, Columbia and Epic Records. They also hosted their own national weekly radio program, The Suwannee River Jamboree during the late ’50s and early ’60s. They continued to record and perform together up through Jim’s death. Jim McReynolds died of cancer on December 31, 2002.
What You Should Own
Bill Monroe was a bluegrass pioneer who more or less invented the genre whose name itself was derived from the moniker of his own band, the Blue Grass Boys. Born on the family farm in Kentucky, each of Monroe’s parents passed away by the time he was 16, so he spent the next two years living with his fiddle-playing uncle whom he often accompanied on mandolin at local gigs. When he was 18, Monroe formed the Monroe Brothers with his brother Charlie Monroe and two friends. The friends eventually left and the brothers continued as a duo, signing with RCA Victor in 1936. In 1940, Monroe formed the Blue Grass Boys which soon included banjo great, Earl Scruggs and guitarist 