Nashville vocalist and mandolinist Luke McKnight has a new album titled “Best Dressed Beggar In Town” (Turnberry Records). Although rooted in bluegrass, the new recording features multiple genres of music. Luke is the grandson of mandolin master and bluegrass icon Jesse McReynolds.
As a teen and a young man, Luke performed as a member of Jim & Jesse and The Virginia Boys, and he took that opportunity to learn the difficult crosspicking style his grandfather pioneered on the mandolin. After leaving Jesse’s group, he formed and performed with a band called McReynolds Tradition, including two of his cousins, as well as a career as a solo artist.
After working as a firefighter and bus driver, McKnight has returned to the world of bluegrass music he learned as a boy. Luke says: “It’s something I’ve wanted to do for a long time. It’ll be released as soon as possible. Content-wise, you never know. I don’t consider myself a traditional bluegrass artist per se… you never know what I’m gonna come up with. I’m not a big fan of ‘genre.’ I just don’t like the word. I’m just a fan of good music.”
Author: Angel Romero
Angel Romero y Ruiz has dedicated his life to musical exploration. His efforts included the creation of two online portals, worldmusiccentral.org and musicasdelmundo.com. In addition, Angel is the co-founder of the Transglobal World Music Chart, a panel of world music DJs and writers that celebrates global sounds. Furthermore, he delved into the record business, producing world music studio albums and compilations. His works have appeared on Alula Records, Ellipsis Arts, Indígena Records and Music of the World.