Joe Mullins, veteran bluegrass banjo player, vocalist, and bandleader, has announced his intention to retire from full-time touring early in 2026. His hugely popular band, The Radio Ramblers, will perform with Joe throughout this year, finishing up with a show at the Meadowgreen Music Park in Clay City, KY on January 10.
Though he will be retiring from the road at 60 years of age, Mullins will do so with 40 years experience as a professional musician. Following in his father’s footsteps, the great Paul “Moon” Mullins, bluegrass and radio have figured prominently in Joe’s musical career.
“I started playing banjo professionally in 1982, the same year I was first on radio. I bought my first radio station in 1995—just over 30 years ago. By 2004, I was fortunate to have acquired two additional Ohio radio stations, creating a regional network. Three decades later, I have added FM coverage to all of the original AM stations that make up Real Roots Radio, and we live stream our programming, too.”
Joe will continue working on the radio side, though his son, Daniel, is fast learning the ropes at Real Roots Radio, both behind the mic and behind the scenes. Daniel has also taken over management of the Industrial Strength Bluegrass festivals held two times a year in Wilmington, OH, which his father founded.
Though he has enjoyed his life on the road, meeting friends and playing music, Joe says he hadn’t set out to do that when he formed the Radio Ramblers.
“I was so fortunate to launch a great band back in 2006, because of opportunities generated by my Ohio radio stations. By 2009 and 2010, we were doing 40 dates a year. After our second and third albums were circulated, I bought the first bus when the schedule increased to 80 dates in 2011. Except for 2020 with the pandemic, we have been fortunate to maintain a wonderful calendar of appearances, while I am still managing the radio network. I was 40 when the band started, and my kids were entering high school. Now I’m a grandpa––a grandpa so grateful for the music, miles and memories!”
Jerry Salley with Billy Blue Records, with whom Joe and the Ramblers had been recording, shared a few words on this news.
“Joe Mullins has been my friend for many years, and all of us at Billy Blue Records have loved working with him and representing his music. We wish him all the best in this new chapter of his life, and hope to work with him on some other special projects in the future.”
So we can expect to see Joe out and about in bluegrass going forward, just not on a predictable, regular basis?
“I ain’t retiring or dying! I’m just getting off the road. The current Ramblers lineup is SO talented —Jason Barie, Adam McIntosh, Chris Davis, and Zach Collier — will stay in demand in every capacity, and they need to be on stage or in the studio as much as possible. So, pulling back or slowing down wasn’t the best option. After releasing five JMRR albums since the pandemic, plus the Industrial Strength Bluegrass album—that’s six albums in the past five years—I feel like it’s a good time to slow down as I turn the Big 60.”
Chris Davis has already announced the formation of his own band, who will debut at Years of Farming November 9. Jason Barie has recently signaled his availability for session work and overdubs from his home studio.
We will undoubtedly miss seeing Joe Mullins with his fine band, his strong tenor voice, and his terrific banjo playing so rich in the traditions of the great players who came before him. It seems likely that he will continue to record in some capacity, and that folks in the central part of the US will see him pop up at festivals from time to time. And he will still be heard on his regular radio show, The Banjo Show, from 2:00-3:00 p.m. (eastern) weekdays on Real Roots Radio.
So it’s not farewell to Joe Mullins, just with The Radio Ramblers on the road.
You can check their remaining tour schedule online.
