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Mike Compton (musician)

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Mike Compton
Born (1956-02-29) February 29, 1956 (age 68)
Meridian, Mississippi
GenresBluegrass music, folk music, acoustic music, country blues, old-time music
Occupation(s)Mandolinist, backing vocalist
InstrumentMandolin
Years active1975–present
Websitemikecompton.net

Mike Compton (born February 29, 1956) is an American mandolinist, known for his expertise in bluegrass music and his contributions to old-time music, folk music, and country blues. Known as a modern master of the mandolin and one of the foremost interpreters of Bill Monroe’s pioneering style, Compton has a reputation as both a solo performer and ensemble player. Over his career spanning nearly five decades, he collaborated with notable artists such as John Hartford, Doc Watson, Elvis Costello, and Sting.

Compton is a founding member of the Nashville Bluegrass Band and has performed with the Soggy Bottom Boys on the Grammy Award-winning soundtrack for O Brother, Where Art Thou?,[1] helping to popularize bluegrass and roots music globally. His discography includes over 120 recordings, and he remains an instructor, hosting the annual Monroe Mandolin Camp in Nashville. In recognition of his achievements, Compton has received multiple International Bluegrass Music Association award nominations[2] and a commendation from the Mississippi State Senate.[3]

Biography

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Befriended and mentored by Bill Monroe, the acknowledged Father of Bluegrass Music, Mike Compton is one of today's foremost interpreters of Monroe's genre-creating mandolin style. Mandolin students from around the world make the pilgrimage to his annual Monroe Mandolin Camp in Nashville, Tennessee, where Compton and a select handful of other experts teach everything from the basics of bluegrass mandolin (fiddle and banjo) to the most intimate details of Monroe's endlessly inspiring mandolin style.

Mike Compton's decades of touring and recording — with musical luminaries ranging from rockstars Sting, Gregg Allman, and Elvis Costello, to straight-from-the-still acoustic legends such as John Hartford, Doc Watson, Peter Rowan, Ralph Stanley, and David Grisman — have established Compton as a true master of the modern American mandolin and a premier interpreter of roots and Americana musical styles.

Compton's mastery of mandolin is at once effortless and exceptional. A compelling entertainer either alone or with a group, his skills as a singer, arranger, instrumentalist, composer, and accompanist also make him in-demand as a band member and ensemble player at festivals, clubs and concert halls, recording sessions, music workshops, and as a private instructor. With more than 120 recordings in his discography, including work with Willie Nelson, Dolly Parton, and Patty Loveless, Compton has helped keep mandolin a cool, relevant sound as the modern musical styles ebb and evolve to reach an ever-broadening audience.

A native of Mississippi, Compton picked up the mandolin in his teens and absorbed the area's native blues, old-time country, and bluegrass sounds. Compton learned music from an early age as his great-grandfather was an old-time fiddler. Initially, Compton began playing the trombone but switched to guitar instead and later to mandolin playing old-time music with his cousin. He became interested in bluegrass music and eventually learned to play like Bill Monroe. At the Bean Blossom Bluegrass Festival in 1975, he finally met Monroe.

After Compton had finished his education at the Meridian Junior College he gravitated to Nashville and joined Hubert Davis and the Season Travelers in 1977. Four years later, in 1981, he left Davis' band. He spent the early 1980s working as a cook, a printer, and as a part-time musician.[4] In the mid-1980s, Compton helped found one of the 20th Century's most admired and influential bluegrass groups, the iconic Nashville Bluegrass Band. After a bus accident, which left Mark Hembree injured, Compton reassessed his life, eventually temporarily quitting the business and moved to the Catskills, working as a cottage caretaker. Compton continued to dabble with music recording albums with various artists, and in 1995, he recorded with Bill Monroe's Bluegrass Boys.[5] Compton couldn't stay away from his craft and In the mid-1990s, he joined John Hartford in touring, and recording several albums together with him.[4] In 2000, Compton returned once again to the Nashville Bluegrass Band and continues to tour and play with this group, now 30+ years in the business. Compton also tours internationally with the brother duet partnership duo of Compton & Newberry, with the super-group Helen Highwater Stringband, and as a soloist.

When A-list Americana producer T Bone Burnett needed experts in authentic rural musical styles to anchor the landmark O Brother, Where Art Thou? movie project and subsequent tour, he called upon Compton's unique knowledge and signature mandolin style to authenticate the Soggy Bottom Boys' roots sound. That Grammy Award Album of the Year winning album went on to sell seven million copies, and sparked a global revival in old-time and bluegrass musical styles.

Connoisseur of hand-painted vintage silk ties, popularizer of the denim overall urban fashion statement, lover of iconic men's hats and curator of oddball official days, Mike Compton thrives at the intersection of traditional funk and modern authenticity.

Equally skilled in bluegrass, old-time string band music, country blues, roots Americana styles, and much more, Compton soars beyond easy categorization as an acoustic mandolin player and singer. Gifted at tastefully incorporating rural, roots-based lead and rhythm mandolin styles into modern Americana music, Compton's unique musical skill set allows him to entertain audiences ranging from rockers and urban hipsters to die-hard country, folk, and bluegrass fans.

Awards

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In 2001 and 2002, Compton was nominated as IBMA Mandolinist of the Year.[4] In 2002, O Brother, Where Art Thou?, an album containing one of his songs, was awarded the Grammy Award for best album.[6] In recognition of his achievements, he received a commendation from the Mississippi State Senate.[7]

Discography

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Main article: Mike Compton discography

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Mike Compton". Opry.com. Grand Ole Opry. Retrieved November 13, 2024. Compton's mandolin playing was instrumental on the Grammy Award-winning soundtrack for O Brother, Where Art Thou?, which helped spark a global revival in bluegrass and old-time music.
  2. ^ "Mike Compton & Joe Newberry". High Mountain Hay Fever. Retrieved November 13, 2024. Compton has received multiple nominations for IBMA Mandolin Player of the Year, including in 2001 and 2002.
  3. ^ "Mike Compton – Mandolin". Acoustic Music Camp. Retrieved November 13, 2024. In 2002, the Mississippi State Senate honored Mike Compton with State Resolution No. 45 in recognition of his musical achievements, celebrated with performances of "Old Ebeneezer Scrooge" and "I'll Fly Away."
  4. ^ a b c Mike Compton by Dick Bowden Archived 2009-10-09 at the Wayback Machine
  5. ^ Rosenberg, Wolfe 2007, p. 286.
  6. ^ "Full list of winners at the 44th Grammy awards". The Guardian. London. 2002-02-28. Retrieved 2008-12-06.
  7. ^ "Senate Resolution No. 45" (PDF). Mississippi Legislature. 2002. Retrieved 2008-12-06.
  • Carlin, Richard (2003), Country Music: A Biographical Dictionary, Taylor & Francis
  • Rosenberg, Neil V. - Wolfe, Charles K. (2007), The Music of Bill Monroe, University of Illinois Press
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