Dan Kelly to Michael & Jennifer McLain

Michael & Jennifer McLain have announced the addition of Dan Kelly on fiddle, resulting in a new name for their act. Touring now as the Michael & Jennifer McLain Band featuring Dan Kelly, the group performs regularly at Arrington Vineyards, about 30 miles south of Nashville during the season, and at select dates throughout the southern and eastern US.

Kelly has been turning heads with his fiddle since he was a wee lad, winning the Grand Masters Championship in Nashville at 17, at which time he had already picked up state fiddle titles in seven states. He went on to work with Roy Acuff and his Smokey Mountain Boys for several years before starting to tour with leading country music acts like Alan Jackson, Clint Black, Faith Hill, Steve Wariner, and Lonestar.

But he never lost his love for old time and bluegrass fiddling and eventually returned to perform with the Tennessee Mafia Jug Band in the early 2000s.

Here he is with Michael on guitar, Jennifer on mandolin, and Kori Cassell on bass at HoustonFest earlier this summer in Galax, VA.

Find out more about the McLains online.

Author: John Lawless

John had served as primary author and editor for The Bluegrass Blog from its launch in 2004 until being folded into Bluegrass Today in September of 2011. He continues in that capacity here, managing a strong team of columnists and correspondents. View all posts by John Lawless