On This Day #25 - Dale Reno

On This Day …………

On February 6, 1961, Dale Reno was born in Roanoke, Virginia.

The second son of banjo ace Don Reno, Dale Reno fell in love with musical instruments at the tender age of ten. Initially he built his first set of drums using old paint cans found in the garage.

At the age of 11 his father began teaching him how to play the guitar.

A year later, Dale attended a Bill Monroe Festival where he saw Marty Stuart playing a mandolin with Lester Flatt, and he took up the instrument with a deep passion.

At about the same time he joined The Tennessee Cut-ups fronted by dad, Don, and his partner Bill Harrell. Growing up on the road he was blessed with being around some of the greatest musicians in the world, and he was able to learn from a host of great mandolin players, Red Rector, Frank Wakefield, Jimmy Gaudreau, John Duffey and Sam Bush included.

Since the Tennessee Cut-ups folded when Don Reno passed away (1984) Dale has played with his brothers Ronnie and Don Wayne in the Reno Brothers band; Lonesome Standard Time; Larry Sparks and the Lonesome Ramblers; actor and country singer Tom Wopat; and Grass to the Bone.

Starting in 2000, using the moniker “Deacon,” Dale Reno played mandolin and guitar in the bluegrass-rock music fusion band, Hayseed Dixie. The band, which began as a comic tribute to rockers AC/DC in a bluegrass style, developed a strong following, especially in Europe.

Most recently he has, with Don Wayne and Mitch Harrell, formed the 21^st century version of Reno and Harrell, Sons of the Legends. Their first album, Reno Bound, was released in 2013.

Selected Discography

Don Reno