Biography
14 September 1934, Marion, Virginia, USA. Harrell learned to read music and for a time, as a child, he had piano lessons, before becoming interested in bluegrass music during his studies at the University of Maryland. He learned guitar and mandolin, playing the latter in a band that he formed with other students. After leaving university, he worked with several bluegrass bands in the Washington, DC area, including the Rocky Mountain Boys. In 1957, he was called for military service, during which he was involved in a serious car accident that left him hospitalized for 12 months. In 1960, by then specializing in the guitar, he formed his band, the Virginians. They recorded an album for United Artists Records and another, Ballads & Bluegrass, under the name of Buck Ryan And Smitty Irvin for Monument Records (the latter two were actually the fiddle and banjo players in the Virginians). They played regularly on television on WSVA Harrisonburg, guested on various...
Read the Full Biography of Bill Harrell & The Virginians
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