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Why I Stopped Using A Set List | Del McCoury

October 29, 2026 · 47 min

Show notes

Bluegrass legend Del McCoury joins us at Del Fest to share the stories that defined a genre. From the night Bill Monroe walked into a small Baltimore bar and changed his trajectory, to the decades spent touring with his sons, Del opens up about his 87-year-old work ethic and his philosophy on legacy. 🚀 Book a Free Skills Assessment with Sonora. https://www.learnwithsonora.com/yt/cwzh?d=1 👇 Want to go deeper? Join the Playback Sessions community for tabs, breakdowns, and more. https://www.skool.com/playback-community-9570 ⏱️ Free Tool for looping videos on YouTube and Instagram https://www.learnwithsonora.com/yt/cwzh/looper?d=1 0:16 – The night Bill Monroe walked in 0:54 – The origins of Del Fest 3:45 – Cumberland, Maryland: The perfect location 6:11 – Politics and "Del's Army" 10:11 – Surviving the storm that hit the bus 12:06 – Work ethic at 87 13:58 – Legacy: Working with sons Ronnie and Rob 22:25 – The search for a new fiddle player 26:55 – Why Del doesn't use a set list 31:32 – Songwriting with Harley Allen 38:29 – The Bill Monroe story: Joining the band 41:41 – The moment he was told to drop the banjo 🎸 Follow Playback Sessions on socials: -Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/playbacksessions/ -Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/playbacksessions -YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Playback-Sessions -Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@playbacksessionspodcast -Spotify: @ Playback Sessions Podcast 📍 Filmed live at DelFest, County Fairgrounds in Cumberland, Maryland 🎥 Host: Spencer Handley Guest: Del McCoury Editor: Carl Reeverts, Clayton Hopkins, Evan Bowser Camera/Sound: Ben Bingham Executive Producer: Spencer Handley #PlaybackSessions #SpencerHandley #CarterVintageGuitar #SonoraGuitarIntensive #DelMcCoury #BillMonroe #BluegrassMusic #DelFest #BluegrassGuitar #AcousticGuitar #RonnieMcCoury #RobMcCoury #GrandOleOpry

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