16 Facts About Doyle Lawson

Doyle Wayne Lawson was born on April 20,1944 and is an American traditional bluegrass and Southern gospel musician.

Doyle Lawson was born in Fordtown, Sullivan County, Tennessee, the son of Leonard and Minnie Lawson.

Doyle Lawson grew up listening to the Grand Ole Opry on Saturday nights.

Doyle Lawson became interested in playing the mandolin around the age of eleven so his father borrowed a mandolin from Willis Byrd, a family friend and fellow musician.

Doyle Lawson taught himself how to play the mandolin by listening to the radio and records, and watching an occasional TV show.

Later Doyle Lawson learned to play the guitar and banjo as well.

In 1963, aged 18 or 19, Doyle Lawson went to Nashville to play the banjo with Jimmy Martin and the Sunny Mountain Boys.

Doyle Lawson returned to play the mandolin and sing tenor with Martin in 1969 for six months, and then played again with Crowe until August 1971.

In September, 1971, Doyle Lawson started playing with The Country Gentlemen and remained part of the band for almost eight years.

In March 1979, Doyle Lawson left the Country Gentlemen with the intention of forming a band and creating his own sound.

Doyle Lawson hired guitarist Russell Moore, banjoist Scott Vestal and bassist Curtis Vestal, and continued to perform.

Doyle Lawson composed a number of the band's songs and tunes.

Doyle Lawson's instrumental piece "Rosine", is a tribute to Monroe's birthplace and features, among other things, strains from the singer's 1967 instrumental "Kentucky Mandolin".

Doyle Lawson has one son, two daughters and a grandchild.

Doyle Lawson rededicated his life to Christianity in May 1985 and is a practicing member of Cold Spring Presbyterian Church.

Doyle Lawson is a recipient of a 2006 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.