When Sam Bush was a fiddle playing teenager, he had the opportunity to meet Bluegrass legend Bill Monroe. When young Bush tried to display his blossoming mandolin skills to Monroe, the icon's advice was succinct: “Stick to the fiddle.”
Good thing Bush didn’t take that comment to heart or he might not have gone on to notch the achievements that earned him the title of “Father of Newgrass.”
Bush began his career early, picking up the mandolin at 11 and winning the junior division of the National Oldtime Fiddler's Contest three times as a teenager. Bush’s first recording, Poor Richard’s Almanac with Wayne Stewart and Alan Munde, was released in 1969; Bush was 17. Last year, Bush released his first concert DVD, entitled On the Road, and he was tapped to host the International Bluegrass Music Awards at the Grand Ole Opry. While there, he also took home the trophy for (wait for it) 2007 Mandolinist of the Year. Somewhere Bill Monroe is having a good laugh at his own expense.
