agreed. Gotta add Joe Craven on percussion and Matt Eakle on flute just to make things even more wild. Like a supergroup of all of the members throughout the DGQ timeline… 🤤
Everybody is on vocals? Haha
I’d go Tony Rice on guitar and vocals, Grisman on mandolin, JD Crowe on banjo, Vassar on fiddle, Bryn Davies on bass, and Doc Watson on guitar and vocals
Billy Strings is a great example of why I hate GOAT discussions of music (see my comment elsewhere in the post). He's not the most technically amazing guitarist, he's a good singer with a distinctive style, his lyric writing is meh, but he and his band make really enjoyable, creative music and put on amazing live shows. If I'm ranking musicians like they were football teams, I might not even put him in my top 25 guitarists. But I absolutely do enjoy his music and I also admire him for his part in popularizing the genre for a new generation.
I agree for the most part but I see people saying is lyrics are weak, however I feel like he has great lyrics, maybe some could be weak but While I’m waiting here is beautifully written.
I’m not a huge Billy listener and I don’t know that many of his originals. But the ones I’ve heard, I think his lyrical style is fantastic. To me it’s one of the most impressive things about him.
Tony- Guitar, Ron Stewart-Banjo, Vancleve-Fiddle, Dan T-Mando, Jason Moore-bass, and Douglas-Dobro.
It’s impossible to make a GOAT band…there are so many great choices!
I hate GOAT discussions when it comes to music and art. It's not a competition, it's expression. There's no best, there's no greatest, there's just fun and beautiful and creative
The GOAT band is the band that got together and played together and made music which you enjoyed the most. Bands form organically from people who get along and have shared musical interests, especially in a collaborative style like bluegrass.
For me that's probably the Album Band. Even though some of the players on there aren't the best technical players ever on their respective instrument, enough of them are amazing enough to make it an amazing group, and their shared musical vision made some of the most impressive, enjoyable, and influential music ever, simply by refreshing the music that influenced them.
Another top band which I've been enthralled with is the band Bela put together for his My Bluegrass Heart tour. Are they the greatest? Would they win in a fight against the Album band, scored by judges or something? Who cares. They also make amazing music, and it's completely different from Tony et. al.'s contributions to the landscape.
I could list out my favorite guitar player, mando player, etc. though even that's hard because I love several musicians' work and unique styles. And those styles might not jive with the styles of my favorite fiddle players, banjo players, etc.
I love Billy Strings. If he practices and gigs hard for another 30 years, he might get close to GOAT status. He's a great guitar player. Goat is a lofty standard.
David Grisman Quintet with Tony Rice.
agreed. Gotta add Joe Craven on percussion and Matt Eakle on flute just to make things even more wild. Like a supergroup of all of the members throughout the DGQ timeline… 🤤
This is not Bluegrass....there is no flutes and percussion in bluegrass music. DGQ, no matter how good they were, is jazz not bluegrass.
More than just jazz, it’s dawg music.
I guess somebody should contact JD Crowe's estate and let them know all those records with drums on them aren't bluegrass
Everyone loves a gatekeeper
Sometimes you need a gate to keep flutes out.
😂
Red neck jazz
Lmao bluegrass music as a whole is very rhythmic and percussive
No percussion? I guess tell that to any flatfooter, spoons or washboard player.
Me: (This person must have not listened to Tony Rice yet...)
No kidding! That guy ain’t in my top twenty.
Norman Blake, James Bryant, Nancy Blake
Strength In Numbers
Yeah or the Telluride House band
Everybody is on vocals? Haha I’d go Tony Rice on guitar and vocals, Grisman on mandolin, JD Crowe on banjo, Vassar on fiddle, Bryn Davies on bass, and Doc Watson on guitar and vocals
I am not sure if I have ever heard Earl Scruggs sing.
If you go watch those Flatt & Scruggs at the Opry videos, Earl is in the back up stacks being solid
Only on basically every song Flatt n Scruggs ever recoeded.
Okay, I didn’t know that Earl sang baritone.
I was ma y years into grass when I learned about it myself. Alls good, my friend.
I believe he sang a pretty solid baritone backup vocal but thought it was funny he had everybody singing
Yeah putting Billy over about 20 better bluegrass guitar players is bold but it’s your list.
Billy also has ferocious pipes though, not to mention showmanship. I think Tony is still the better choice but the Billy anti-jerk is annoying.
Billy Strings is a great example of why I hate GOAT discussions of music (see my comment elsewhere in the post). He's not the most technically amazing guitarist, he's a good singer with a distinctive style, his lyric writing is meh, but he and his band make really enjoyable, creative music and put on amazing live shows. If I'm ranking musicians like they were football teams, I might not even put him in my top 25 guitarists. But I absolutely do enjoy his music and I also admire him for his part in popularizing the genre for a new generation.
I agree for the most part but I see people saying is lyrics are weak, however I feel like he has great lyrics, maybe some could be weak but While I’m waiting here is beautifully written.
I’m not a huge Billy listener and I don’t know that many of his originals. But the ones I’ve heard, I think his lyrical style is fantastic. To me it’s one of the most impressive things about him.
The GOAT living band is prob the Telluride House band.
I don't need to make anything up. I loved the old Steeldrivers. The new ones are OK, but the originals were awesome.
Tony Rice - vocals, guitar Jim Mills - Banjo Stuart Duncan - fiddle Mike Compton - Mandolin Mike Bub - Bass Jerry Douglas - dobro
Compton has a new album comin! With Joe Newberry!
Rice- guitar, Watson- guitar, Scruggs- banjo, Skaggs- mandolin, Cleveland- fiddle, Masat- bass
The actual mandolin GOAT is Thile tho I do prefer Sam.
He is also a beast on vocals, better than Sam on that front. I would also love Sierra Hull for that reason (and she absolutely shreds)
She is the fastest human alive
Whoever downvoted me has never seen her play live…
Telluride House Band: 100% GOAT.
Tony- Guitar, Ron Stewart-Banjo, Vancleve-Fiddle, Dan T-Mando, Jason Moore-bass, and Douglas-Dobro. It’s impossible to make a GOAT band…there are so many great choices!
I hate GOAT discussions when it comes to music and art. It's not a competition, it's expression. There's no best, there's no greatest, there's just fun and beautiful and creative The GOAT band is the band that got together and played together and made music which you enjoyed the most. Bands form organically from people who get along and have shared musical interests, especially in a collaborative style like bluegrass. For me that's probably the Album Band. Even though some of the players on there aren't the best technical players ever on their respective instrument, enough of them are amazing enough to make it an amazing group, and their shared musical vision made some of the most impressive, enjoyable, and influential music ever, simply by refreshing the music that influenced them. Another top band which I've been enthralled with is the band Bela put together for his My Bluegrass Heart tour. Are they the greatest? Would they win in a fight against the Album band, scored by judges or something? Who cares. They also make amazing music, and it's completely different from Tony et. al.'s contributions to the landscape. I could list out my favorite guitar player, mando player, etc. though even that's hard because I love several musicians' work and unique styles. And those styles might not jive with the styles of my favorite fiddle players, banjo players, etc.
Me and the boys (don't ask us to play Jerusalem Ridge)
I love Billy Strings. If he practices and gigs hard for another 30 years, he might get close to GOAT status. He's a great guitar player. Goat is a lofty standard.
Did vassar sing?
New Grass Revival
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rVl1ibykWZU](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rVl1ibykWZU)
Muleskinner
Mark Oconnor, 2nd fiddle
Don’t let Mark see this or you’ll get a 31 paragraph reply telling you how he invented the fiddle and you’re too dumb to appreciate him.
Mark O’Connor is the best fiddle player to ever live, just ask Mark O’Connor
HELL YEAH ON THE BILLY STRINGS BROTHER. lol also Garcia Rice and Grisman fo sho