Few fiddle players have been seen - or heard - by more people than Jimmy Mattingly, thanks to a widely aired Dr more Pepper commercial that featured him accompanying his long-time employer, country superstar Garth Brooks. A member of Brooks' band from 1995 until his retirement from the road, Mattingly played before millions and appeared on three of Brooks' multi-platinum albums - but despite his success as a country player, his first love has long been bluegrass music. Raised in Leitchfield, KY, Mattingly played in numerous fiddle contests as a youngster, culminating in a 1981 U.S. Grand Masters victory. He then joined progressive bluegrass pioneers Spectrum in 1981, remaining with the group until its dissolution in the middle of the decade. After stints with the Forrester Sisters and Steve Wariner (with whom he recently recorded), he joined Dolly Parton's band in 1989, recording and touring with the Country Music Hall of Famer until 1993. It was during a break in Parton's touring schedule that he joined the Osborne Brothers, where he became friends with Terry Smith and Terry Eldredge, who would join him again in Parton's Blue-niques in 2002 (Jimmy's fiddle playing is featured on her new Live And Well CD and DVD as well as six other Parton albums). His smooth, expressive style and his facility in both country and bluegrass contexts made him a favorite fill-in with the Sidemen and a natural for The Grascals.
Though he's just celebrating his seventh year in Nashville, Canadian-born banjo player David Talbot is already one of the hottest commodities in bluegrass and beyond. A colleague of Eldredge's with Larry Cordle & Lonesome Standard Time for those same five years, he made a high-profile recording debut with his indispensable contributions to the group's Grammy-nominated Murder On Music Row. David's stellar, traditionally-based playing has been recognized by a diverse array of top artists, from IBMA award-winning instrumentalists like Aubrey Haynie and Bryan Sutton, who invited him onto their latest albums (including 2003's Instrumental Album of the Year, The Bluegrass Fiddle Album), to country star Reba McEntire (that's his driving banjo on her recent hit, "I'm Gonna Move That Mountain"), country-turned-bluegrass favorite Marty Raybon, Americana kingpin Jim Lauderdale and new country singer Rebecca Lynn Howard. He also appeared with Dolly Parton on high-profile late night television shows in late 2003. His supportive baritone and low tenor vocals round out The Grascals' vocals perfectly, while his quick yet inspired work in the studio has led him to amass dozens of recording credits within a remarkably short period of time.
Shared Indiana roots and a love for the Osborne Brothers' harmonies first sparked a friendship between Eldredge and Jamie Johnson, but when the latter moved to Nashville at the end of the 1990s, the two quickly discovered a vocal blend that rivals bluegrass' greatest sibling harmonies. Though he helped to found the Wildwood Valley Boys at the beginning of the decade, Jamie first drew attention to his soaring tenor voice as a member of the Boys From Indiana, with whom he performed in the mid-1990s. Stints with local bluegrass and country bands followed before he returned to the Wildwood Valley Boys, making his recording debut on their I'm A Believer (Rebel Records, 2000). Following his move to Nashville, he began to find success as a songwriter - he co-wrote the title cut of Bobby Osborne's Where I Come From (OMS Records, 2002) - and as a singer, making his Opry debut as a member of Gail Davies' band, joining the Sidemen in 2001, and contributing leads and harmonies to Bluegrass - The Little Grasscals: Nashville's Superpickers. He has recorded with alternative country singer Trent Summar (on the Davies-produced Caught In The Webb) and with Ricky Van Shelton. More recently, Jamie made his first appearance at the legendary Ryman Auditorium when he was tapped to organize a supporting band for and sing harmonies with Skaggs Family Records recording artist Melonie Cannon.