Chris Eldridge | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Fredericksburg, Virginia |
| Genres | Progressive bluegrass Bluegrass |
| Instrument(s) | Guitar |
| Years active | 2000-present |
| Labels | Nonesuch Records |
| Website | http://www.chriseldridge.net/ |
Chris Eldridge is a Grammy Award winning American guitarist and singer. He is a member of Punch Brothers and frequently performs in a duo with fellow guitarist Julian Lage. He was the guitarist in the house band on Prairie Home Companion/Live From Here from 2016-2020. He was also a founding member of the bluegrass band The Infamous Stringdusters. His father is noted banjoist Ben Eldridge of the Seldom Scene.
Biography
Although initially drawn to electric guitar, Eldridge began developing an acoustic career by his mid-teens, largely due to his father, a founding member of the seminal bluegrass group The Seldom Scene. Eldridge later studied at Oberlin Conservatory, where he studied with legendary guitarist Tony Rice. After graduating, he joined the Seldom Scene with whom he received a Grammy nomination in 2007.[1] In 2005 he founded a critically acclaimed bluegrass group, The Infamous Stringdusters. At the 2007 International Bluegrass Music Association awards Eldridge and his Stringdusters bandmates won Emerging artist of the Year, Song of the Year, and Album of the Year for their debut album, Fork in the Road.[2]
In 2005 mandolinist Chris Thile, recruited Eldridge, along with banjoist Noam Pikelny, violinist Gabe Witcher, and bassist Greg Garrison, to start working on an ambitious project fusing bluegrass instrumentation with the rigor of classical composition. Eventually the musicians decided to form a band, Punch Brothers. Their debut album in 2008, Punch, has been described as "bluegrass instrumentation and spontaneity in the strictures of modern classical"[3] as well as "American country-classical chamber music".[4] Punch Brothers has released 6 full length albums and 2 EPs.
Eldridge appeared in the 2013 Coen brothers film Inside Llewyn Davis as Mike Timlin, the deceased duet partner of Llewyn Davis. Eldridge can be seen alongside Oscar Isaac several times throughout the movie on the front and back covers of Timlin and Davis' album, "If We Had Wings." Eldridge and Punch Brothers appeared throughout the movie's soundtrack.[5]
Eldridge was featured in the exhibit, "American Currents: The Music of 2018" at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in Nashville, TN.[6]
In 2019 Eldridge won the Instrumentalist of the Year award at the Americana Music Honors & Awards.[7]
In 2020 he was named Visiting Associate Professor of Contemporary American Acoustic Music at Oberlin.[8]
In 2023 he released an eponymous album with a new bluegrass supergroup called Mighty Poplar. Other members of the band include Noam Pikelny, Andrew Marlin, Alex Hargreaves and Greg Garrison.[9]
Eldridge is a nine-time Grammy Award nominee, winning once in 2019 for Best Folk Album.[1]
Discography
Punch Brothers
| Year | Title | Label |
|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Punch | Nonesuch |
| 2010 | Antifogmatic | Nonesuch |
| 2012 | Who's Feeling Young Now? | Nonesuch |
| 2012 | Ahoy! (EP) | Nonesuch |
| 2015 | The Phosphorescent Blues | Nonesuch |
| 2015 | The Wireless (EP) | Nonesuch |
| 2018 | All Ashore | Nonesuch |
| 2022 | Hell on Church Street | Nonesuch |
Mighty Poplar
| Year | Title | Label |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Mighty Poplar | Free Dirt Records |
Julian Lage & Chris Eldridge
| Year | Title | Label |
|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Close to Picture (EP) | Modern Lore |
| 2014 | Avalon | Modern Lore |
| 2017 | Mount Royal | Free Dirt Records |
The Infamous Stringdusters
| Year | Title | Label |
|---|---|---|
| 2006 | The Infamous Stringdusters (EP) | Sugar Hill |
| 2007 | Fork in the Road | Sugar Hill |
Seldom Scene
| Year | Title | Label |
|---|---|---|
| 2007 | Scenechronized | Sugar Hill |
| 2014 | Long Time... Seldom Scene | Smithsonian Folkways |
References
- 1 2 "Chris Eldridge". grammy.com. Retrieved August 5, 2023.
- ↑ "Awards by Year". Archived from the original on July 4, 2022. Retrieved April 16, 2023.
- ↑ Paphides, Pete (January 25, 2008). "Chris Thile and his mandolin". The Times. London. Archived from the original on May 17, 2011. Retrieved May 22, 2010.
- ↑ Holden, Stephen (February 22, 2008). "Covers and Classical Moves From a Bluegrass Virtuoso". The New York Times. Archived from the original on April 22, 2023. Retrieved April 16, 2023.
- ↑ "Inside Llewyn Davis Trivia". IMDb. Archived from the original on April 28, 2023. Retrieved April 16, 2023.
- ↑ "American Currents: The Music of 2018, Opens March 8, 2019 at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum". March 1, 2019. Archived from the original on April 16, 2023. Retrieved April 16, 2023.
- ↑ "Americana Honors and Awards 2019: The Complete Winners List". Rolling Stone. September 11, 2019. Archived from the original on June 9, 2023. Retrieved April 15, 2023.
- ↑ "Bluegrass Guitarist Chris Eldridge Named Visiting Faculty at Oberlin". November 9, 2020. Archived from the original on April 18, 2023. Retrieved April 16, 2023.
- ↑ "Mighty Poplar Rises Up From Bluegrass Bedrock". March 3, 2023. Archived from the original on April 16, 2023. Retrieved April 16, 2023.