Del McCoury

Imagine if Bob Dylan holed up in a studio for a few weeks with a red-hot band to record a 5-CD retrospective of his career. Well, no less excitement and wonder should be accorded Grammy-winning bluegrass icon Del McCoury, because with CELEBRATING 50 YEARS OF DEL MCCOURY, that's exactly what he did.

From the first track on the first disc to the closing chords of the collection's final tune, CELEBRATING 50 YEARS OF DEL MCCOURY is both a fearless and festive journey through time and tradition, as expressed by a true American roots artist whose musical education begins at the side of the Father of Bluegrass Bill Monroe, matures and grows as Del influences the likes of Jerry Garcia and Alison Krauss and then comes full circle on the set's final disc as the master is in turn influenced by his students.

CELEBRATING 50 YEARS OF DEL MCCOURY is not for the stodgy traditionalist who would have icons like Del enshrined in glass, only to be let out every few years to perform pitch-perfect classics from the late 1950s. No, as befits an artist who, at 70, continues to work and be creative into his eighth decade, the collection respects traditional most by using it as a jumping-off point, rather than an end in itself.

Recorded in a series of marathon sessions, CELEBRATING 50 YEARS OF DEL MCCOURY features more than 30 new recordings of songs from Del's first 40 years of performing and an additional 18 from the Del McCoury's Band most essential tracks of the past ten years.

For those who can't get enough of Del, CELEBRATING 50 YEARS OF DEL MCCOURY 12-page full-color booklet full of rare family photos, in addition there is also a companion CD, a 14-track companion CD titled BY REQUEST which consists of, in Del's words 'the songs people shout out for us to play night after night.'