17 Facts About Del McCoury

Delano Floyd McCoury was born on February 1,1939 and is an American bluegrass musician.

Del McCoury became a member of the Grand Ole Opry in October 2003.

Del McCoury was one of many performers at The Clearwater Concert at Madison Square Garden on May 3,2009.

Del McCoury has influenced a great number of bands, including Phish, with whom he has shared the stage several times, and who have covered his songs.

Del McCoury has performed with The String Cheese Incident and Donna the Buffalo, and recorded with Steve Earle.

Del McCoury has covered songs by artists as diverse as The Lovin' Spoonful, Tom Petty, and Richard Thompson.

Del McCoury has appeared at festivals including Bonnaroo, High Sierra, the Hardly Strictly Bluegrass, The Telluride Bluegrass Festival, and the Newport Folk Festival.

Del McCoury has a very enthusiastic fan base, known as the Del McCoury-Heads.

In October 2009, The Del McCoury Band began offering fans recordings of their performances on USB flash drives available immediately after their concerts.

In June 2010, Del McCoury received a lifetime achievement award from the National Endowment for the Arts in the field of folk and traditional arts, including a stipend of $25,000.

In 2008, Del McCoury started DelFest, an annual bluegrass festival in Cumberland, Maryland, held at the Allegany County Fairgrounds.

Del McCoury Band plays every night at each of the festivals.

Del McCoury has won 31 International Bluegrass Music Association Awards, including Entertainer of the Year four consecutive times.

Del McCoury has won IBMA Male Vocalist of the Year four times.

In 2014, Del McCoury was nominated and won his second Grammy Award for The Streets of Baltimore.

Del McCoury was a recipient of a 2010 National Heritage Fellowship awarded by the National Endowment for the Arts, which is the United States government's highest honor in the folk and traditional arts.

Del McCoury received the Bluegrass Star Award, presented by the Bluegrass Heritage Foundation, in 2015.