Jim Mills (1966 to 2024) was the banjo player in Ricky Skaggs and Kentucky Thunder for 14 years, until 2010, and he won IBMA Banjo Player of the Year six times, more than anyone else. He played Scruggs-style banjo. He was also one of the leading experts on prewar Gibson banjos and wrote a book about them.
Why Mills matters
Mills showed that classic Scruggs style could still win at the top of the business. He played in Kentucky Thunder, a top traditional band, for 14 years, and his six IBMA banjo awards are the record.
Life and career
Mills was born on December 18, 1966, in Raleigh, North Carolina. He played banjo for as long as he could remember. After high school he joined Summer Wages with Barry Berrier. From 1988 to 1993 he played with Doyle Lawson and Quicksilver. He then worked as shipping manager at Sugar Hill Records and played with the Bass Mountain Boys from 1994 to 1997.
He joined Ricky Skaggs and Kentucky Thunder and stayed 14 years, until the summer of 2010. His first solo album, Bound to Ride (Sugar Hill, 1998), won IBMA honors for instrumental album. My Dixie Home followed in 2002 and Hide Head Blues in 2005. He won IBMA Banjo Player of the Year in 1999, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2005, and 2006. He played on Dolly Parton’s The Grass Is Blue and Little Sparrow and on The Three Pickers with Earl Scruggs, Doc Watson, and Skaggs. He shared six Grammy Awards.
In 2010 he left Skaggs to buy, sell, and trade prewar Gibson banjos full time from his showroom in Durham. He owned the “Mack Crow” banjo, the only factory gold-plated RB-75 Gibson made, and the RB-4 once owned by Snuffy Jenkins. Huber Banjos built a Jim Mills model based on the Mack Crow. He died on May 3, 2024, at 57.
Playing style
Mills played Scruggs style, the three-finger approach Earl Scruggs made popular. He played prewar Gibson Mastertones, including the Mack Crow RB-75, and his collecting shaped his ear for tone.
Influences and legacy
Mills built his playing on Earl Scruggs. He played beside Doyle Lawson, Ricky Skaggs, Dolly Parton, and Doc Watson. His knowledge of prewar Gibsons made him a resource for collectors and players, and his signature Huber model keeps his sound in circulation.
Signature tunes and songs
Flint Hill Special Shuckin’ the Corn Tennessee Banjo Man, with Doyle Lawson.
Essential recordings
Bound to Ride (Sugar Hill, 1998) My Dixie Home (Sugar Hill, 2002) Hide Head Blues (Sugar Hill, 2005) The Three Pickers, Earl Scruggs, Doc Watson, and Ricky Skaggs (2003)
Awards and honors
IBMA Banjo Player of the Year (1999) IBMA Banjo Player of the Year (2000) IBMA Banjo Player of the Year (2001) IBMA Banjo Player of the Year (2003) IBMA Banjo Player of the Year (2005) IBMA Banjo Player of the Year (2006) IBMA award, Bound to Ride Six Grammy Awards, shared
Watch and listen
Mills plays Flint Hill Special at MerleFest’s BanjoRama in 2014.
PBS North Carolina profiled him in Jim Mills: Banjo Man.
What to learn from Mills
Learn Flint Hill Special. Mills played it at MerleFest in the video above. The technique to steal is tone. Mills built a second career on banjo tone. Record your playing and listen for thin or weak notes, then work on a firmer, steadier right hand until the tone fills out.
Sources
Jim Mills (banjo player), Wikipedia Mills, Jim, BluegrassBios.com
Related players
See the banjo players hub and the bluegrass banjo guide for more pickers. Mills built on Earl Scruggs and owned a banjo once played by Snuffy Jenkins.