This is a list of

mandolin A mandolin (, ; literally "small mandola") is a Chordophone, stringed musical instrument in the lute family and is generally Plucked string instrument, plucked with a plectrum, pick. It most commonly has four Course (music), courses of doubled St ...

ists, people who have specifically furthered the

by composing for it, by playing it, or by teaching it. They are identified by their affiliation to the instrument.

First generation mandolinists (c. 1744 - 1880)

Bartolomeo Bortolazzi Bartolomeo Bortolazzi (born Toscolano-Maderno 1772; died 1846) was a performing musician, composer, author, and virtuoso of both the guitar and the mandolin. He was credited by music historian Philip J. Bone as helping to pull the mandolin out ...

(1733-1820) * Luigi Castellacci * Giovanni Cifolelli *

Pietro Denis Pietro Denis (1720–1790), also known as Pierre Denis, was a French mandolin virtuoso and teacher, and composer. He studied under Giuliano in Naples and established himself in Paris. He is best known for his compositions Sonata for Mandolin & C ...

(1720-1790) *

Giovanni Fouchetti Giovanni Fouchetti (, fl.1757-1789) published one of the earliest method books for the mandolin, c. 1771. According to Philip J. Bone, Fouchetti was also known as Fouquet, and he lived in Paris during the 18th Century. He was a professor there in 17 ...

(1757-1789) * Alexandro Marie Antoin Fridzeri * Carlo Antonio Gambara * Giovanni Battista Gervasio (c.1762-1784) * Giovanni Hoffmann (also ''Johann'' Hoffmann) (1770-c.1814) (Vienna) *

Vincent Houška Vincent Houška or Hauschka (21 January 1766 in Mies, Bohemia – 1840 in Vienna) was a composer and musician who played mandolin and cello. He was good enough a musician that he was able to tour Europe and give concerts. Hauska was a son of ...

(1766-1840) (Czechoslovakia) *

Wenzel Krumpholz Wenzel Krumpholz or Václav Krumpholz (1750 – May 2, 1817) was a Bohemia-born musician who played mandolin and violin. He studied the mandolin at an early age and became one of the most renowned performers on this instrument. At a later date he ad ...

(1750-1870) * Carmine de Laurentiis *

Gabriele Leone Gabriele Leone (born Naples c. 1735 – 1790) was an Italian musician and composer who lived in Paris during the middle and later part of the 18th century. A virtuoso on the violin and mandolin, he wrote an early mandolin method (music), method, ...

;(1732-1770) * Carlo Sodi (1715-1788) *

Giovanni Vailati Giovanni Vailati (24 April 1863 – 14 May 1909) was an Italian proto-analytic philosopher, historian of science, and mathematician. Life Vailati was born in Crema, Lombardy, and studied engineering at the University of Turin. He went on to ...

(1815-1890) * Mademoiselle de Villeneuve (1770) * Pietro Vimercati (?-1850)

Golden age mandolinists (c. 1880 - c. 1920)

* Michele Salvatore Ciociano (1874-1944) (Italy) *

Valentine Abt Valentine Abt (born Pittsburgh June 13, 1873 – died Mayview, Pennsylvania July 16, 1942) was an American composer who specialized in the mandolin. In the book ''Popular American Composers'', Frank L. Boyden named Abt one of America's most "pro ...

(1873-1942) (United States) *

Pietro Armanini Pietro Armanini was an Italian mandolin virtuoso who was born in 1844 and died on 8 September 1895 in Bordeaux, France. As a professor at La Scala, he was one of the most famous exponents of the Milanese mandolin and the first to bring his inst ...

(1844-1895) (Italy) *

Edgar Bara Edgar Bara (1876–1962) was a mandolinist, author and composer. He wrote the method book ''Méthode de Mandoline et Banjoline'', published 1903 in the United States, one of the few from that era which is still in print today, in France. He was ...

(1876-1962) * Giuseppe Bellenghi (1847-1902) *

Giuseppe Branzoli Giuseppe Branzoli (1835 in Cento – 21 January 1909, in Rome) was a violinist, mandolinist, composer, author, educator at the Liceo Musicale di St. Cecilia in Rome, and the founder of the periodical ''IL mandolin Romano''. His compositions wer ...

(1835-1909) (Italy) *

Raffaele Calace Raffaele Calace (1863 – 1934) was an Italian mandolin player, composer, and luthier. Calace was born in Naples, Italy, the son of Antonio Calace, a successful instrument maker. He initially trained to be a musician, discovered the mandolin, a ...

(1863-1934) (Italy) *

Jules Cottin Jules Cottin (1868–1922) was a mandolin virtuoso who played in Paris from the 1890s. A pupil of the guitarist Jacques Bosch, he became part of the mandolin revival, which revitalized the instrument after its long decline in the 19th century. H ...

(1868-1922) * Ferdinando de Cristofaro (1846-1890) *

Carlo Curti Carlo Curti (6 May 1859 – 8 May 1922), also known as Carlos Curti, was an Italian musician, composer and bandleader. He moved to the United States whose most lasting contribution to American society was popularizing the mandolin in American mu ...

(1859-1926) (Italy, United States, Mexico) * Bernardo De Pace (1881-1966) * Herbert J. Ellis (1865-1903) *

James Reese Europe James Reese Europe (February 22, 1880 – May 9, 1919) was an American ragtime and early jazz bandleader, arranger, and composer. He was the leading figure on the African-American music scene of New York City in the 1910s. Eubie Blake called him ...

(1881-1919) (United States) * Giovanni Gioviale (1885-1949) (Italy) * George H. Hucke (1868-1903) * Nikolaos Lavdas (1879-1940) * Salvador Léonardi (1872-1938) (Italy) *

Eduardo Mezzacapo Eduardo Mezzacapo (1832–1898) was an Italian mandolinist, recognized as a virtuoso. He was also a composer, and a performer, organizing and playing in a mandolin quartet in France. Although he died before recording technology, his quartet did g ...

(1832-1898) *

Carlo Munier Carlo Munier (15 July 1858 – 11 February 1911) was an Italian musician who advocated for the mandolin's acknowledgement among as an instrument of classical music and focused on "raising and ennobling the mandolin and plectrum instruments". He ...

( 1859-1911) (Italy) *

W. Eugene Page Walter Eugene Page (13 May 1876 – 26 May 1922) was an early 20th-century American performing artist who made records with Victor Records, Victor. He was considered a virtuoso on the mandolin, and played marimbaphone, banjo and mandola as well.U ...

(American) * Clarence L. Partee (1864-1915) (Italy, United States) *

Giuseppe Pettine Giuseppe Pettine (born ''Giuseppe Antonio Luigi Pettine''; in Isernia, Italy, 13 February 1874 – 1966) was an Italian-American concert mandolinist, teacher, and composer. Early life and career Pettine started to study the mandolin with Camil ...

(1874-1966) (Italy, United States) * Jean Pietrapertosa (1855-1940) *

Silvio Ranieri Silvio Ranieri (1882 – 1956) was an Italian Mandolin virtuoso. Born in Rome, he gave his first concert in 1897, aged fifteen, and he went on to tour Europe to great acclaim. It was his desire to elevate the Mandolin to a status similar to the v ...

(1882-1956) (Italy) *

Clara Ross Clara Louisa Ross Ricci (1 July 1858 - 1954) was a British composer, mandolinist, and singer. She is best known for her compositions for mandolin and her songs, which she published as Clara Ross or Clara Ross-Ricci. Ross was born in Brighton, Engla ...

(1858-1954) (England, United States) *

Arling Shaeffer Arling Shaeffer (1859 – February 21, 1943) was an American composer and arranger. Shaeffer was born in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin in 1859. He was also a musician known for his mastery of fretted instruments such as the guitar, mandolin, ukulele, ...

(1859-after 1938) (United States) *

Samuel Siegel Samuel Siegel (born 1875, Des Moines, Iowa — died January 14, 1948, Los Angeles, California) was an American mandolin virtuoso and composer who played mandolin on 29 records for Victor Records, including 9 pieces of his own composition and two ...

(1875-1948) (United States) * Giuseppe Silvestri (1841-1921) * Giovanni Vicari (1905-1985) (United States) *

Seth Weeks Silas Seth Weeks (September 8, 1868 – December 1953) was an American composer who played mandolin, violin, banjo and guitar.Sampson, Henry T."Seth Weeks" From ''Banjo World'', Vol. 8, No. 73, December, 1900, p. 20 in ''Blacks in Blackface: A Sou ...

(1868-1953) (United States) * Bob Yosco (1874-1942) (Italy, United States)

Modern mandolinists 1920 to present (deceased)

Classical *

Giuseppe Anedda Giuseppe Anedda (born Cagliari, 1 March 1912 – died Cagliari, 30 July 1997) was an Italian mandolin virtuoso who helped the mandolin gain more importance in the classical music world in the 20th Century. He performed with his instrument in con ...

(1912-1997) (Italy) (classical) * Nino Catania (1907-1985) (Italy) * Matteo Casserino (1911-2001) (United States) *

Rudy Cipolla Rudy Cipolla, born Rodolfo Cipolla, was an Italian American mandolinist and composer. Born in the province of Cosenza in 1900, he emigrated to the United States at a very young age, settling in Portland, Oregon at age 8. Though his father played ...

(1900-2000) (United States) * Samuel Firstman * Kurt Jensen (1913-1911) (Australia) *

Yasuo Kuwahara Yasuo Kuwahara (, Kuwahara Yasuo) (December 12, 1946 in Kobe, Japan – December 6, 2003) was a Japanese mandolin player and composer for mandolin orchestra. He was chairman of various musical institutions and organizations, including the ''Nara ...

(1946-2003) (Japan) * Jiro Nakano (1902-2000) (Japan) * Takashi Ochi (1934-2010) (Japan) *

Alison Stephens Alison Stephens (1 March 1970 – 10 October 2010) was an English classical mandolin player and film musician. Biography Stephens was born in Bickley, Kent, and educated at James Allen's Girls' School and Haileybury and began playing the m ...

(1970-2010) (Great Britain) * Morishige Takei (1890-1949) (Japan) *

Konrad Wölki Konrad Wölki (27 December 1904 – 5 July 1983) was a German composer, mandolinist and music educator who contributed to the musically critical appreciation of the Zupforchesters (German mandolin orchestras—may also include other plucked stri ...

(1904-1983) (Germany) Blues * Howard Armstrong (1909-2003) (United States), Tennessee Chocolate Drops , style="width:25%; vertical-align:top;", * Willie Black (United States) (blues), Whistler And His Jug Band * Dink Brister (1914 - 1991) (United States) (blues) *

Rory Gallagher William Rory Gallagher ( ; 2 March 1948 – 14 June 1995) was an Irish musician, singer, and songwriter. Regarded as "Ireland's first rock star", he is known for his virtuosic style of guitar playing and live performances. He has sometim ...

(1948-1995) (Ireland) * Jim Hill (United States) (blues) * Charles Johnson (United States) (blues) * Coley Jones (circa 1880s – 1930s) (United States) (blues), Dallas String Band * Big Jack Johnson (1940-2011) * Bobbie Leecan (1897-1946) (United States) (blues), Need More Band * Alfred Martin (United States) (blues) *

Carl Martin Carl Clarke Martin (born 24 October 1986) is an English professional football coach and former player who played as a defender. He last played in 2015 for Wealdstone. Club career Martin was born in Camden, London. He started his career in no ...

(1906-1979) (United States) (blues) *

Charlie McCoy Charlie McCoy (born Charles Ray McCoy, March 28, 1941) is an American harmonica virtuoso and multi-instrumentalist in country music. He is best known for his harmonica solos on iconic recordings such as " Candy Man" ( Roy Orbison), "He Stoppe ...

(1909-1950) (United States) (blues) * Al Miller (United States) (blues) * Matthew Prater (United States) (blues) * Herb Quinn (United States) (blues) * James "Yank" Rachell (1910-1997) (United States) (blues) , style="width:25%;", *

Johnny Winter John Dawson Winter III (February 23, 1944 – July 16, 2014) was an American singer, guitarist, songwriter, and record producer. Winter was known for his high-energy blues rock albums, live performances, and slide guitar playing from the late 1 ...

(1944-2014) (United States) *

Johnny "Man" Young Johnny "Man" Young (January 1, 1917 – April 18, 1974) was an American blues singer, mandolin player and guitarist, significant as one of the first of the new generation of electric blues artists to record in Chicago after the Second World ...

(1918-1974) (United States) (blues) Bluegrass * Charlie Bailey (1916-2004) (bluegrass) (old-time music), The Bailey Brothers * Bill Bolick (1919-1998) (United States) (country) *

Jethro Burns Jethro is a male given name meaning "excellence". It is derived from the Hebrew word ''Yithrô''. People named Jethro * Kenneth C. "Jethro" Burns (1920–1989), mandolin player in satirical country music duo Homer and Jethro * Jethro Frankli ...

(1920-1989) (United States) (country/bluegrass/jazz) * Joseph Allen "Joe" Carr (1951-2014) *

John Duffey John Humbird Duffey Jr. (March 4, 1934 – December 10, 1996) was an American bluegrass musician. Biography Duffey was born on March 4, 1934, in Washington, D.C., and lived nearly all his life in the Washington D.C. area. He graduated from ...

(1934-1996) (United States) (bluegrass), Country Gentlemen,

Seldom Scene The Seldom Scene is an American bluegrass band that formed in 1971 in Bethesda, Maryland. The band's original line-up comprised John Starling on lead vocals and guitar, Mike Auldridge on Dobro and baritone vocals, Ben Eldridge on banjo, Tom ...

Bill Monroe William Smith Monroe ( ; September 13, 1911 – September 9, 1996) was an American mandolinist, singer, and songwriter who created the bluegrass music genre. Because of this, he is often called the " Father of Bluegrass". The genre takes its n ...

(1911-1996) (United States) (bluegrass) *

Tiny Moore Billie "Tiny" Moore (May 12, 1920 – December 15, 1987) was an American Western swing musician who played the electric mandolin and fiddle with Bob Wills and the Texas Playboys in the 1940s. He played with The Strangers and Merle Haggard du ...

(1920-1987) (United States)(country/bluegrass/jazz) *

Bobby Osborne Bobby Van Osborne (December 7, 1931 – June 27, 2023) was an American bluegrass musician. He was the co-founder (with his brother Sonny) of the Osborne Brothers, a member of the Grand Ole Opry, and the International Bluegrass Music Hall of Fa ...

(1931-2023) *

Tut Taylor Robert Arthur "Tut" Taylor Sr. (November 20, 1923 – April 9, 2015) was an American bluegrass musician. Taylor played banjo and mandolin as a child, and began playing dobro at age 14, learning to use the instrument with a distinctive flat-pick ...

(1923-2015) Carnatic *

U. Srinivas Uppalapu Srinivas (28 February 1969 – 19 September 2014) was an Indian mandolin player in Carnatic classical music and composer. U. Srinivas was called the Mozart of classical Indian music and he was a child prodigy. He was awarded the Padma ...

(1969-2014) (India) Choro *

Jacob do Bandolim Jacob do Bandolim (born Jacob Pick Bittencourt; February 14, 1918 – August 13, 1969) was a Brazilian composer and musician. Born to a Brazilian-Jewish mother and a gentile father in Rio de Janeiro, his stage name means "Mandolin Jacob", after t ...

(1918-1969) (Brazil) (

Choro ''Choro'' (, "cry" or "lament"), also popularly called ''chorinho'' ("little cry" or "little lament"), is an instrumental Brazilian popular music genre which originated in 19th century Rio de Janeiro. Despite its name, the music often has a fa ...

Samba-canção Samba-canção (; literally 'song samba') is, in its most common acceptance or interpretation, the denomination for a kind of Brazilian popular songs with a slow-paced samba rhythm. History It appeared after the World War II, at the end of the ...

Country * Karl Davis (1905-1979) (Country music), Renfro Valley Boys, Cumberland Ridge Runners * Walter Louis "Hank" Garland (1930-2004) * Pee Wee Lambert (1924-1965) (United States) (Country music),

Stanley Brothers The Stanley Brothers were an American bluegrass duo of singer-songwriters and musicians, made up of brothers Carter Stanley (August 27, 1925 – December 1, 1966) and Ralph Stanley (February 25, 1927 – June 23, 2016). Ralph and Carter perf ...

Gospel * Katie Bell Nubin (United States) (gospel) Jazz *

Dave Apollon Dave Apollon (born Denis Apollonov, ; February 23, 1898 – May 30, 1972) was an American mandolin player. Today Dave Apollon is regarded as one of the most innovative and influential mandolinists of the twentieth century, whose more notable rec ...

(1898-1972) (United States) (jazz) *

Sinn Sisamouth Sinn Sisamouth (c. 1932 – c. 1976) was a Cambodian singer-songwriter active from the 1950s to the 1970s. Widely considered the "King of Khmer Music", Sisamouth, along with Ros Serey Sothea, Pen Ran, Mao Sareth, and other Cambodian artists ...

(c. 1932- c. 1976) Old Timey *

Mike Seeger Mike Seeger (August 15, 1933August 7, 2009) was an American folk musician and folklorist. He was a distinctive singer and an accomplished musician who mainly played autoharp, banjo, fiddle, dulcimer, guitar, harmonica, mandolin, dobro, jaw harp, ...

(1933-2009) Southern rock *

Allen Woody Douglas Allen Woody (October 3, 1955 – August 25, 2000) was an American bass guitarist best known for his eight-year tenure in the Allman Brothers Band and as a co-founder of Gov't Mule. Biography After having studied at Vanderbilt Univ ...

(1955-2000),

The Allman Brothers Band The Allman Brothers Band was an American rock music, rock band formed in Jacksonville, Florida, in 1969. Its founding members were brothers Duane Allman (slide guitar, lead guitar) and Gregg Allman (vocals, keyboards), as well as Dickey Betts ( ...

Gov’t Mule Gov't Mule (pronounced "Government Mule") is an American Southern rock jam band, formed in 1994 by guitarist Warren Haynes, bassist Allen Woody (both of The Allman Brothers Band at the time) and drummer Matt Abts (whom Haynes had worked with in ...

Modern mandolinists 1920 to present

Mainly classical

Australian * Paul Hooper Belgium * Ralf Leenen :Royal Estudiantina La Napolitaine Bulgaria * Oleg Videnov France * Vincent Beer-Demander * Cécile Valette, Nov' Mandolin Trio * Annick Robergeau * Olivia Tarallo-Valgelata * Cécile Valette Germany * Marga Wilden-Hüsgen * Veronika Schlereth * Sabine Spath * Steffen Trekel, Duo Trekel-Tröster * Detlef Tewes Great Britain *

Simon Mayor Simon Mayor (born 1953) is an English mandolinist, fiddle player, guitarist, composer and humorist. He is noted for a series of instrumental albums featuring the mandolin, live performances with his partner Hilary James and his groups The Mando ...

* Frances Taylor India * U. Rajesh Israel *

Avi Avital Avi Avital (; born 19 October 1978) is an Israeli mandolinist. He is best known for his renditions of well-known Baroque and folk music, much of which was originally written for other instruments. He has been nominated for a Grammy Award (Best I ...

* Jacob Reuven, Kerman Mandolin Quartet, Barrocade * Alon Sariel , style="width:25%; vertical-align:top;", Italy * Carlo Aonzo * Andrea Bazzoni * Matthew Bonizzoni, International Mandolin Orchestra * Emanuele Cappellotto * Céline Cellucci, Ensemble Gabrielle Leone, Pizzicato Ensemble * Freddy Colt *

Dorina Frati Dorina Frati is an Italian classical mandolin player. She performs regularly with European orchestras such as The Teatro alla Scala, Philharmonic of La Scala, the National Academy of Orchestra dell'Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, Santa Cecil ...

* Fabio Gallucci, Nov' Mandolin Trio * Maria Cleofe Miotti *

Ugo Orlandi Ugo Orlandi (born in Brescia, 1958) is a musicologist, a specialist in the history of music, a university professor and internationally renowned mandolinist virtuoso. Among worldwide musicians, professional classical musicians are a small group; ...

(Italy) * Roberto Palumbo * Giorgio Pertusi, International Mandolin Orchestra * Amelia Saracco :

I Solisti Veneti I Solisti Veneti is an Italian chamber orchestra founded in Padua in 1959 by Claudio Scimone. Since 2019, the Musical Director has been Giuliano Carella, and since 2020 he has also been Artistic Director. Background The ensemble was directe ...

* Mauro Squillante * Clara Ponzoni * Miriam Zaniboni, International Mandolin Orchestra Japan * Ryo Aoyama * Onishi Kozo * Izumi Toru Netherlands * Ferdinand Binnendijk * Marina Eckhardt Portugal * Fabio Machado * Norberto Gonçalves da Cruz Puerto Rico * Gustavo Batista - Russia * Natalya Kravets * Natalia Marashova * Elena Zabavskay * Ekaterina Mochalova Spain * Juan-Carlos Muñoz Switzerland * Giorgio Borsani * Giorgio Caneva, Orchestra mandolinistica di Lugano * Paolo Stirnimann, International Mandolin Orchestra United States * Butch Baldassari (bluegrass) *

Joseph Brent Joseph Frederick Brent (born April 6, 1976) is an American composer, mandolinist, multi-instrumentalist, and teacher. He is known for his performances and arrangements of rock and indie songs, as well as his original compositions with the ense ...

John Craton John Douglas Craton (born August 6, 1953) is an American classical composer. His works have been performed throughout the United States, Europe, and Japan. While his compositions cover a diverse range, he is best known for his operas, ballets, an ...

(classical) * David Evans * Neil Gladd (Classical) * Marilynn Mair, Mair-Davis Duo, Mandolin World Summit, Enigmatica * Evan Marshall * Emanuil Sheynkman * Radim Zenkl (Czechoslovakia) (bluegrass, jazz), Mandolin World Summit

Blues

Ry Cooder Ryland Peter Cooder (born March 15, 1947) is an American musician, songwriter, film score composer, record producer, and writer. He is a multi-instrumentalist but is best known for his slide guitar work, his interest in traditional music, and h ...

(United States) * Bert Deivert (United States) (Sweden) * Rich DelGrosso (United States) * Andra Faye (United States) * Billy Flynn (United States) *

Alvin Youngblood Hart Alvin Youngblood Hart (born Gregory Edward Hart; March 2, 1963) is an American musician. Career Hart was born in Oakland, California, and spent some time in Carroll County, Mississippi, in his youth, where he was influenced by the Mississipp ...

Jimi Hocking James Kevin Hocking (born 7 June 1963) otherwise known as Jimi the Human is an Australian musician. He has been a member of hard rock groups, The Angels (1988) and The Screaming Jets (1994–97, 2010–present). As a solo artist he has front ...

(Australia) * Gerry Hundt (United States) * Steve James (United States) *

Pokey Lafarge Pokey LaFarge (born Andrew Heissler, June 26, 1983) is an American musician and singer-songwriter. Early life LaFarge was born Andrew Heissler in Bloomington, Illinois. The nickname "Pokey" was coined by his mother, who would scold him to ...

Barry Mitterhoff Barry Mitterhoff (born September 16, 1952) is an American musician who plays mandolin. He is a former member of Skyline, Silk City, Bottle Hill, and Hot Tuna. Played with Peter Rowan, Tex Logan and Lamar Greer in The Green Grass Gringos. Mitter ...

* Otis Taylor (United States) * Hans Theessink (Netherlands) *Marc Woodward (United Kingdom) (United States)

Bluegrass, Americana, Old Timey

* Darin Aldridge, The Circuit Riders * Lloyd Armstrong * Jeff Austin,

Yonder Mountain String Band Yonder Mountain String Band is an American progressive bluegrass group from Nederland, Colorado. Composed of Dave Johnston, Ben Kaufmann, Adam Aijala, Nick Piccininni, and Coleman Smith, the band has released eleven studio albums and six live re ...

* Alan Bibey, Baucom, Bibey, Graham & Haley *

Robert Bowlin Robert Bowlin (born September 22, 1956 in Pocahontas, Arkansas) is an American bluegrass and country musician. Biography Bowlin started playing ukulele when he was one, and by the time he was five years old he had picked up the guitar. Biogr ...

Jesse Brock Jesse Davis Brock (born July 18, 1972, in Decatur, Illinois) is an American Bluegrass music, bluegrass artist who plays the mandolin and sings both lead vocals, lead and supporting vocals. He records and tours with the East Tennessee based Authe ...

Sam Bush Charles Samuel Bush (born April 13, 1952) is an American mandolinist who is considered an originator of progressive bluegrass music. In 2020, he was inducted into the International Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame as a member of New Grass Revival. ...

* Mike Compton *

Sharon Gilchrist Sharon Gilchrist is an American musician, singer, composer, mandolin instructor and the sister of Troy Gilchrist, also a bluegrass musician. Biography Youth Raised in Southlake, Texas, a suburb of Dallas, Sharon Gilchrist started playing the m ...

David Grisman David Jay Grisman (born March 23, 1945) is an American mandolinist. His music combines bluegrass, folk, and jazz in a genre he calls "Dawg music". He founded the record label Acoustic Disc, which issues his recordings and those of other acousti ...

* David Harvey (luthier) *

Sierra Hull Sierra Dawn Hull (born September 27, 1991) is an American Bluegrass music, bluegrass singer-songwriter, mandolinist, and guitarist. Hull was signed to Rounder Records at the age of 13 and released her debut vocal album, ''Secrets'', in 2008 at ...

Sarah Jarosz Sarah Ellen Jarosz ( ; born May 23, 1991) is an American singer-songwriter from Wimberley, Texas. Her debut studio album, '' Song Up in Her Head'', was released in 2009 on Sugar Hill Records

Doyle Lawson Doyle Wayne Lawson (born April 20, 1944) is an American traditional bluegrass and Southern gospel musician. He is best known as a mandolin player, vocalist, producer, and leader of the 6-man group Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver. Lawson was inducte ...

* Tashi Litch, Brograss * David Long * Andrew Marlin * Mike Marshall * Cahalen Morrison *

Ronnie McCoury Ronald Delano McCoury, known as Ronnie McCoury, (born March 16, 1967) is an American mandolin player, singer, and songwriter. He is the son of bluegrass musician Del McCoury, and is best known for his work with the Del McCoury Band and the Trave ...

Del McCoury Band The Del McCoury Band is a Grammy Award-winning American bluegrass band. History Originally the band was called Del McCoury and the Dixie Pals with Del on guitar and his brother Jerry on bass. The band went through a number of changes in person ...

Jesse McReynolds Jesse Lester McReynolds (July 9, 1929 – June 23, 2023) was an American bluegrass musician. He was best known for his innovative crosspicking and split-string styles of mandolin playing. Biography McReynolds was born in Coeburn, Virginia. He ...

* Buddy Merriam *

* Tim O'Brien * Georgi Palmov (Russia),

Kukuruza Kukuruza is a Russian band who progressed from a student startup to become an international touring act in the early 1990s. In 1994, the ''Chicago Tribune'' said they were "among the top country groups of Eastern Europe and Russia". That same ...

* John Reischman * Tom Rozum *

Sandy Rothman Sandy Rothman (born January 30, 1946, Miami, Florida) is an American, San Francisco Bay Area bluegrass multi-instrumentalist and record producer. He plays mandolin, dobro and banjo, and he also sings. Rothman was a friend and colleague of Grat ...

Jerry Garcia Acoustic Band The Jerry Garcia Acoustic Band (JGAB) was a band formed by Jerry Garcia of the Grateful Dead. They played a number of concerts in 1987 and 1988, and subsequently released two live albums. Band members *Jerry Garcia - guitar, vocals * David ...

Jon Sholle Jon Sholle (March 13, 1948 – May 17, 2018) was an American guitarist, multi-instrumentalist, and musician who played bluegrass, rock, country, roots music, and folk music. As musician Sholle was born in 1948 in New York City. While he started ...

* Herschel Sizemore *

Ricky Skaggs Rickie Lee Skaggs (born July 18, 1954), known professionally as Ricky Skaggs, is an American neotraditional country and bluegrass singer, musician, producer, and composer. He primarily plays mandolin; however, he also plays fiddle, guitar, ma ...

, Clinch Mountain Boys,

The Country Gentlemen The Country Gentlemen was a progressive bluegrass band that originated during the 1950s in the area of Washington, D.C., United States, and recorded and toured with various members until the death in 2004 of Charlie Waller, one of the group's ...

Kentucky Thunder Kentucky Thunder, or Ricky Skaggs and Kentucky Thunder, is the band that plays with American country and bluegrass singer Ricky Skaggs. Many members of the band have won numerous awards. Bandleader Ricky Skaggs plays mandolin and is the lea ...

Johnny Staats Johnny Staats is a bluegrass mandolin, guitar and violin player, born and raised in West Virginia. He has been featured on NBC's Today Show, in People Magazine, on the CBS Evening News and CNN, and has appeared on the Grand Ole Opry. He won Charl ...

Andy Statman Andrew Edward Statman (born 1950) is a noted American klezmer clarinetist and bluegrass/newgrass mandolinist. Life and career Statman was born in New York City and grew up in the borough of Queens. Beginning at age 12, he learned to play banj ...

Adam Steffey Adam Carter Steffey (born November 24, 1965) is an American mandolin player, best known for playing in the bluegrass and old-time styles. He spent time as a member of bands such as Alison Krauss & Union Station, Mountain Heart, Lonesome Riv ...

* Mark Stoffel, Chris Jones and the Night Drivers *

Bryan Sutton James Bryan Sutton (born 1973) is an American musician. Primarily known as a flatpicking acoustic guitar player, Sutton also plays mandolin, banjo, ukulele, and electric guitar. He also sings and writes songs. Biography Early career Sutton's gr ...

Chris Thile Christopher Scott Thile (; born February 20, 1981) is an American mandolinist, singer, songwriter, composer, and radio personality, best known for his work in the progressive acoustic trio Nickel Creek and the acoustic folk and progressive blue ...

(classical),

Punch Brothers Punch Brothers is an American band consisting of Chris Thile (mandolin), Brittany Haas (fiddle/violin), Noam Pikelny (banjo), Chris Eldridge (guitar), and Paul Kowert (bass). Their style has been described as "bluegrass instrumentation and spo ...

Nickel Creek Nickel Creek (formerly known as the Nickel Creek Band) is an American bluegrass music, bluegrass band consisting of Chris Thile (mandolin), and siblings Sara Watkins (fiddle) and Sean Watkins (guitar). Formed in 1989 in Southern California, the ...

Niall Toner Niall Edward Toner (born 1944) is an Irish bluegrass musician, songwriter and radio broadcaster from Dublin, known nationwide for his programmes ''Country Heartland'' and ''Roots Freeway''. Musical career Toner organised his first acoustic band ...

(Ireland) *

Graham Townsend Graham Craig Townsend (June 16, 1942 – December 3, 1998) was a Canadian fiddler, mandolin player, pianist and composer active from the 1950s through the 1990s. Background Graham Townsend was born to Fred and Enid (nee Rainey) Townsend in Toront ...

Joe Val Joseph 'Val' Valiante (June 26, 1926 - June 11, 1985) was a bluegrass musician and singer from New England, known for his mandolin playing and his high tenor voice. He was posthumously inducted into the International Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame ...

Rhonda Vincent Rhonda Lea Vincent (born July 13, 1962) is an American Bluegrass music, bluegrass singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist. Vincent's music career began when she was a child in her family's band The Sally Mountain Show, and it has spanne ...

* Joe K. Walsh *

Frank Wakefield Franklin Delano Wakefield (June 26, 1934 – April 26, 2024) was an American mandolin player in the bluegrass music style. Wakefield was known for his collaborations with a number of well-known musical artists, including Red Allen, Jimmy Martin, ...

* Kym Warner (Australia) *

Sean Watkins Sean Charles Watkins (born February 18, 1977) is an American guitarist, vocalist, and songwriter. He is a member of the contemporary folk band Nickel Creek, the duo Fiction Family and the supergroup Works Progress Administration. He is the brot ...

*Eli West *

Roland White Roland Joseph White (né LeBlanc; April 23, 1938 – April 1, 2022) was an American bluegrass music artist, performing principally on the mandolin. He was inducted into the International Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame in 2017. Biography White wa ...

Paul Williams Paul Williams may refer to: Authors * Paul Williams (Crawdaddy) (1948–2013), American music and science fiction journalist; founder of ''Crawdaddy'' and the Philip K. Dick Society * Paul Williams (Irish journalist) (born 1964), Irish journalis ...

, The Sunny Mountain Boys

Choro

*Danilo Brito, Spoleto * Hamilton de Holanda * Déo Rian

Country

* Paul Buskirk * Mark Casstevens * Walter Garland, Played mandolin on Tanya Tucker's San Antonio Stroll in concerts, 1994 *

Vince Gill Vincent Grant Gill (born April 12, 1957) is an American singer, songwriter, and musician. He played in a number of local bluegrass music, bluegrass bands in the 1970s, and from 1978 to 1982, he achieved his first mainstream attention after ta ...

(United States) *

Johnny Gimble John Paul Gimble (May 30, 1926 – May 9, 2015) was an American country musician associated with Western swing. Gimble was considered one of the most important fiddlers in the genre. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1999 i ...

* Aubrey Haynie *John Jorgenson *

Cheyenne Kimball Cheyenne Nichole Kimball (born July 27, 1990) is an American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and mandolinist. Her debut album, '' The Day Has Come'', was released in July 2006, coinciding with an MTV reality series following her entry into the m ...

Ira Louvin Ira Lonnie Loudermilk (April 21, 1924 – June 20, 1965), known professionally as Ira Louvin, was an American country music singer, mandolinist and songwriter. He was a cousin of songwriter John D. Loudermilk. Biography Ira Louvin was born in ...

Martie Maguire Martha Elenor Maguire (née Erwin, previously Seidel; October 12, 1969) is an American musician who is a founding member of the country band the Chicks and the country bluegrass duo Court Yard Hounds. She won awards in national fiddle championsh ...

Dixie Chicks The Chicks (formerly the Dixie Chicks) are an American country music band from Dallas, Texas. The band consists of Natalie Maines (lead vocals, guitar, bass guitar) and sisters Martie Maguire (vocals, fiddle, mandolin, guitar) and Emily Stra ...

and

Court Yard Hounds Court Yard Hounds were an American country music and folk duo, founded by sisters Martie Maguire and Emily Strayer. They, along with Natalie Maines, make up The Chicks, formerly the Dixie Chicks. The sisters decided to record a side project ...

Emily Robison Emily Burns Strayer ( Erwin, previously Robison; born August 16, 1972) is an American songwriter, singer, multi-instrumentalist, and a founding member of the country band the Chicks, formerly known as the Dixie Chicks. Strayer plays banjo, dobro ...

Marty Stuart John Marty Stuart (born September 30, 1958) is an American country music, country and bluegrass music singer, songwriter, and musician. Active since 1968, Stuart initially toured with Lester Flatt, and then in Johnny Cash's road band before be ...

(United States) * Jerry Swallow * Oscar Sullivan,

Lonzo and Oscar Lonzo and Oscar were an American country music duo founded in 1945 originally consisting of Lloyd "Lonzo" George (1924–1991) and Rollin "Oscar" Sullivan (1919–2012), best known for being the first to perform the 1948 song " I'm My Own Grandpa ...

* Lisa Theo, Ranch Romance * Billy Joe Walker * Charlie Worsham

Mix: Americana, American folk, progressive bluegrass, blues, jazz, rock, country

Larry Campbell Larry W. Campbell (born February 28, 1948) is a Canadian politician who was the 37th mayor of Vancouver, Canada, from 2002 until 2005, and a member of the Senate of Canada from 2005 until his retirement in 2023. Before he was mayor, Campbe ...

(rock, blues, country, folk and Celtic styles) *

*Richard Kriehn, The Guy’s All-Star Shoe Band *

David Lindley (musician) David Perry Lindley (March 21, 1944 – March 3, 2023) was an American musician who founded the rock band El Rayo-X and worked with many other performers including Jackson Browne, Linda Ronstadt, Ry Cooder, Bonnie Raitt, Warren Zevon, Curtis Ma ...

Peter Ostroushko Peter Ostroushko (August 12, 1953 – February 24, 2021) was an American violinist and mandolinist. He performed regularly on the radio program ''A Prairie Home Companion'' and with a variety of bands and orchestras in Minneapolis–Saint Paul an ...

Irish

Paul Brady Paul Joseph Brady (born 19 May 1947) is an Irish singer-songwriter and musician from Strabane, Northern Ireland. His work straddles folk and pop. He was interested in a wide variety of music from an early age. Initially popular for playing ...

* Andy Irvine (Ireland) * Paul Kelly (Ireland) *

Mick Moloney Michael Moloney (15 November 1944 – 27 July 2022) was an Irish-born American musician and scholar. He was the artistic director of several major arts tours and co-founded Green Fields of America. Early life Moloney was born in Limerick, Ir ...

(Ireland) *

Johnny Moynihan John Moynihan (born 29 October 1946, Phibsboro) is an Irish folk singer, based in Dublin. He is often credited with introducing the bouzouki into Irish music in the mid-1960s. Music career Sweeney's Men Known as "The Bard of Dalymount", he ...

(Ireland) *

John Sheahan John Sheahan (born 19 May 1939) is an Irish musician and composer. He joined The Dubliners in 1964 and played with them until 2012 when The Dubliners' name was retired following the death of founding member Barney McKenna. Sheahan is the last ...

(Ireland)

British folk and folk rock

Ritchie Blackmore Richard Hugh Blackmore (born 14 April 1945) is an English lead guitarist. He was a founding member and the guitarist of Deep Purple, one of the pioneering bands of hard rock. After leaving Deep Purple in 1975, Blackmore formed the band Rainbow ...

Blackmore's Night Blackmore's Night is a British-American neo-medieval folk rock band formed in 1997, consisting mainly of Ritchie Blackmore (acoustic guitar, hurdy gurdy, mandola, mandolin, nyckelharpa, and electric guitar) and Candice Night (lead vocals, lyr ...

* Marla Fibish *

Chris Leslie Christopher Michael Leslie (born 28 June 1972) is a British business executive and former politician who served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Shipley from 1997 to 2005 and Nottingham East from 2010 to 2019. A former member of the La ...

Fairport Convention Fairport Convention are an English British folk rock, folk rock band, formed in 1967 by guitarists Richard Thompson (musician), Richard Thompson and Simon Nicol, bassist Ashley Hutchings and drummer Shaun Frater (with Frater replaced by Marti ...

Whippersnapper Whippersnapper or whipper snapper is a young, impertinent and irritatingly overconfident person. It may also refer to: * Whippersnapper (band), an English folk group *"Whipper Snapper", a song by LaVern Baker *Whipper-snapper, another name for St ...

, St.Agnes Fountain (Band) *

Graham Lyle Graham Hamilton Lyle (born 11 March 1944, in Bellshill, Lanarkshire, Scotland) is a Scottish singer-songwriter, guitarist and producer. Between 1970 and 1997, he co-wrote 18 British Top 40 hits, 9 ''Billboard'' Hot 100 entries, 4 US Country No ...

McGuinness Flint McGuinness Flint was a rock band formed in 1970 by Tom McGuinness (musician), Tom McGuinness, a bassist and guitarist with Manfred Mann, and Hughie Flint, former drummer with John Mayall; plus vocalist and keyboard player Dennis Coulson, and mu ...

Dave Swarbrick David Cyril Eric Swarbrick (5 April 1941 – 3 June 2016) was an English traditional folk musician and songwriter and one of the greatest fiddlers in the world. He was one of the most highly regarded musicians produced by the second Bri ...

Rock

Ian Anderson Ian Scott Anderson (born 10 August 1947) is a British musician best known for being the chief vocalist, Flute, flautist, and acoustic guitarist of the British rock band Jethro Tull (band), Jethro Tull. He is a multi-instrumentalist who also p ...

(Great Britain), Jethro Tull *

Eric Bazilian Eric Michael Bazilian (born July 21, 1953) is an American singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, arranger, and producer. Bazilian is a founding member of the rock band the Hooters. He wrote " One of Us", a song first recorded by Joan Osborne ...

, mandolin part of Joan Osborne's '' St. Teresa'' *

Tim Brennan Tim Brennan is an American musician who is a lead guitarist, vocalist and one of the primary songwriters of the Boston Celtic punk group Dropkick Murphys. Early life and career Born in West Hartford, Connecticut, Brennan played drums for n ...

Dropkick Murphys Dropkick Murphys are an American Celtic punk band formed in Quincy, Massachusetts in 1996. The current lineup consists of co-lead vocalist and bassist Ken Casey, drummer Matt Kelly, co-lead vocalist Al Barr (on hiatus from the band since 202 ...

Peter Buck Peter Lawrence Buck (born December 6, 1956) is an American musician and songwriter. He was a co-founder and the lead guitarist of the alternative rock band R.E.M.; he played the banjo and mandolin on several R.E.M. songs. Throughout his caree ...

(United States),

R.E.M. R.E.M. was an American alternative rock band formed in Athens, Georgia, in 1980 by drummer Bill Berry, guitarist Peter Buck, bassist Mike Mills, and lead vocalist Michael Stipe, who were students at the University of Georgia. One of the fir ...

, mandolin part of ''

Losing My Religion "Losing My Religion" is a song by American alternative rock band R.E.M., released on February 19, 1991 by Warner Bros. as the first single from their seventh album, '' Out of Time'' (1991). It developed from a mandolin riff improvised by the ...

'' *

Dash Crofts Seals and Crofts were an American soft rock Soft rock (also known as light rock or mellow rock) is a form of rock music that originated in the late 1960s in the United States and the United Kingdom which smoothed over the edges of singe ...

Seals and Crofts Seals and Crofts were an American soft rock duo formed in Los Angeles, California in 1969 by James Eugene Seals (October 17, 1942 – June 6, 2022) and Darrell George "Dash" Crofts (born August 14, 1938). They are best known for their hits " Su ...

(Ireland), ''Going to My Hometown'' *

David Gilmour David Jon Gilmour ( ; born 6 March 1946) is an English guitarist, singer and songwriter who is a member of the rock band Pink Floyd. He joined in 1967, shortly before the departure of the founder member Syd Barrett. By the early 1980s, Pink F ...

, Pink Floyd * "Maestro" Alex Gregory (United Kingdom) (Heavy Metal) *

:mandolin part on

Grateful Dead's The Grateful Dead was an American rock band formed in Palo Alto, California, in 1965. Known for their eclectic style that fused elements of rock, blues, jazz, folk, country, bluegrass, rock and roll, gospel, reggae, and world music with psyche ...

Friend of the Devil "Friend of the Devil" is a song recorded by the Grateful Dead. The music was written by Jerry Garcia and John Dawson and the lyrics are by Robert Hunter. It is the second track of the Dead's 1970 album '' American Beauty''. Like most of ''Amer ...

''Garcia: An American Life'' by Blair Jackson, Penguin Books, 1999, pg. 202. *

Levon Helm Mark Lavon "Levon" Helm (May 26, 1940 – April 19, 2012) was an American musician who achieved fame as the drummer and one of the three lead vocalists for The Band, for which he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994. Hel ...

The Band The Band was a Canadian-American rock music, rock band formed in Toronto, Ontario, in 1957. It consisted of the Canadians Rick Danko (bass, guitar, vocals, fiddle), Garth Hudson (organ, keyboards, accordion, saxophone), Richard Manuel (piano, d ...

Chris Hillman Christopher Hillman (born December 4, 1944) is an American musician. He was the original bassist of the Byrds. With frequent collaborator Gram Parsons, Hillman was a key figure in the development of country rock, defining the genre through his w ...

The Byrds The Byrds () were an American Rock music, rock band formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1964. The band underwent multiple lineup changes throughout its existence, with frontman Roger McGuinn (known as Jim McGuinn until mid-1967) being the so ...

, mandolin part of '' Sweet Mary'' * Ray Jackson, mandolin part of Rod Stewart's ''

Maggie May "Maggie May" is a song cowritten by singer Rod Stewart and Martin Quittenton, performed by Stewart for his album '' Every Picture Tells a Story'', released in 1971. In 2004, ''Rolling Stone'' ranked it number 130 in The 500 Greatest Songs of ...

'',

Lindisfarne (band) Lindisfarne are an English folk rock band from Newcastle upon Tyne established in 1968 (originally called Brethren). The original line-up comprised Alan Hull (vocals, guitar, keyboards), Ray Jackson (musician), Ray Jackson (vocals, mandolin, h ...

John Paul Jones John Paul Jones (born John Paul; July 6, 1747 – July 18, 1792) was a Scottish-born naval officer who served in the Continental Navy during the American Revolutionary War. Often referred to as the "Father of the American Navy", Jones is regard ...

(United Kingdom),

Led Zeppelin Led Zeppelin were an English rock music, rock band formed in London in 1968. The band comprised vocalist Robert Plant, guitarist Jimmy Page, bassist-keyboardist John Paul Jones (musician), John Paul Jones and drummer John Bonham. With a he ...

, mandolin part of '' Gallows Pole'' *

Bernie Leadon Bernard Matthew Leadon III ( ; born July 19, 1947) is an American singer, musician, songwriter, and founding member of the Eagles, for which he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1998. Prior to the Eagles, he was a member of thr ...

(United States) *

Jimmy Page James Patrick Page (born 9 January 1944) is an English musician and producer who achieved international success as the guitarist and founder of the Rock music, rock band Led Zeppelin. Page began his career as a studio session musician in Lo ...

(United Kingdom), Led Zeppelin *

Mick Ronson Michael Ronson (26 May 1946 – 29 April 1993) was an English musician, songwriter, arranger, and producer. He achieved critical and commercial success working with David Bowie as the guitarist of the Spiders from Mars. He was a session musici ...

, Mott the Hoople, :mandolin part of ''I Wish I was Your Mother'' *

Jack White John Anthony White (; born July 9, 1975) is an American musician who achieved international fame as the guitarist and lead singer of the rock duo the White Stripes. As the White Stripes disbanded, he sought success with his solo career, subse ...

(United States), The White Stripes *

Pete Zorn Pete Zorn (29 May 1950 – 19 April 2016) was an American multi-instrumentalist who was a longstanding member of Richard Thompson's backing band. He was also a member of Steeleye Span, The Albion Band, and Driver 67. Career As a member of Th ...

(United States / United Kingdom), Richard Thompson's touring band,

Steeleye Span Steeleye Span are a British folk rock band formed in 1969 in England by Fairport Convention bass player Ashley Hutchings and established London folk club duo Tim Hart and Maddy Prior. The band were part of the 1970s British folk revival, ...

Japanese pop and anime music

* Seishin ()

Jazz

*John Abercrombie * Jason Anick *

* Paul Glasse * Michael Kang :

The String Cheese Incident The String Cheese Incident (SCI) is an American jam band from Crested Butte and Telluride, Colorado, formed in 1993. The band is composed of Michael Kang (acoustic/electric mandolin, electric guitar, and violin), Michael Travis (drums and percu ...

* John Kruth * Emory Lester (United States)(Canada)
(bluegrass, new age) *Don Stiernberg (classical, country, some rock) * Patrick Vaillant (France) *

Tim Ware Tim Ware (born October 26, 1948) is an American composer and musician, born in Sacramento, California. He is also the owner of HyperArts, a Web design and development company located in the San Francisco Bay Area, in Oakland, California. The Tim ...

Gospel music / klesmer

(klesmer, bluegrass) *Gerrey Tenney (klesmer, Americana-bluegrass)

Mandolin orchestras

* Mandolin Society of Peterborough * Sydney Mandolins Artist Director: Adrian Hooper

References

External links

Best mandolin rock songs
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mandolinists (sorted)

Mandolinist A mandolin (, ; literally "small mandola") is a stringed musical instrument in the lute family and is generally plucked with a pick. It most commonly has four courses of doubled strings tuned in unison, thus giving a total of eight strings. A ...