Sam Bush

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There may be no more uplifting sight in bluegrass than watching the irrepressible Sam Bush rock the stage.

Founder of the rock/bluegrass fusion band, New Grass Revival, and innovator of the “newgrass” genre, Bush is a dynamic, joyous performer, and among the most entertaining artists in acoustic music. Masterful on mandolin and fiddle, Bush loves his music and his fans love him.

Revered for both his solo and sideman work, which includes Emmylou Harris, Lyle Lovett, and Béla Fleck, he has soaked up honors such as an Americana Music Association Lifetime Achievement Award and suite of Grammys and International Bluegrass Music Association trophies, and 2020 inductee into the International Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame as a member of New Grass Revival. Bush still strives relentlessly to create something new.

Raised on a farm just outside of Bowling Green, Kentucky, Bush grew up plowing tobacco fields in the Southern summer heat alongside his family. He started playing mandolin when he was 11 years old. “I believe growing up on a farm probably helped me channel my energy into learning music and being so interested in it,” Bush says. “Me and my sisters, we all loved it. I’ve often wondered if that’s because growing up on a farm, you couldn’t go ride your bike all over town and horse around like the other kids.” For Bush, a lifetime of channeling his energy has led to stylistic innovations that have changed the course of bluegrass and roots music alike.

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