Jerry Douglas forever altered the way we think about the dobro with distinctive, lyrical playing that greatly expanded the instrument’s presence in bluegrass and country music and beyond. Raised in Ohio, Douglas grew up with a father who played in a bluegrass band and took the family to music festivals. Douglas became obsessed with the sound of dobro players such as Uncle Josh Graves, and when he took up the instrument, he was skilled enough to join the Country Gentlemen before he finished high school. Douglas later joined J. D. Crowe & the New South, then became a member of family band the Whites in the 1980s, which led to session work with Emmylou Harris and his former Country Gentlemen bandmate, Ricky Skaggs. As mainstream country music celebrated a revival of traditional sounds, Douglas’s fiery licks showed up on recordings by Marty Stuart, Randy Travis, and Hank Williams Jr., as well as progressive bluegrass luminaries including Sam Bush and Béla Fleck. Douglas is a longtime member of Alison Krauss & Union Station and a contributor to the soundtrack for the film O Brother, Where Art Thou? He formed the award-winning Earls of Leicester in 2013 and has released three albums with the group. Douglas has also appeared on albums by artists as diverse as Elvis Costello, Sierra Ferrell, and Mumford & Sons. Among his accolades are fourteen Grammys, three Country Music Association Musician of the Year honors, ten International Bluegrass Music Association Dobro Player of the Year awards, and a National Heritage Fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts. The Americana Music Association presented Douglas with a lifetime achievement award in 2015, and he was inducted into the International Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame in 2024. The Museum’s Jon Freeman will host this program, which will be illustrated with photos, film, and recordings. After the program, Douglas will sign commemorative Hatch Show Print posters. Ford Theater. Included with Museum admission. Program ticket required. Free to Museum members.

Members may reserve tickets here at 10 a.m. beginning on Wednesday, January 28.

Non-members may purchase Museum admission and reserve tickets here to the program at 10 a.m. beginning on Thursday, January 29.