Ron Block (born 1964) is the banjo player and guitarist in Alison Krauss and Union Station, which he joined in October 1991. He has won 14 Grammy Awards, six IBMA awards, a CMA Award, and a Dove Award. He played and appeared in O Brother, Where Art Thou? in 2000. He also writes songs, and Krauss, Randy Travis, and Rhonda Vincent have recorded them.
Why Block matters
Block has been the banjo in Union Station for more than 30 years. His playing is rooted in J.D. Crowe and Earl Scruggs. He also teaches, with free online lessons on timing, bends, and Crowe licks.
Life and career
Block was born on July 30, 1964, in Torrance, California. His father owned Hogan’s House of Music, so he grew up around instruments. He loved Bill Monroe, J.D. Crowe, and the Stanley Brothers. He took up guitar at 11 and, after seeing Flatt and Scruggs on TV, banjo at 13.
From 1983 to 1985 he played with Yankee Bluegrass in Southern California. In the mid-1980s he co-founded Weary Hearts with Eric Uglum, Butch Baldassari, Mike Bub, and Chris Jones. In 1989 he played in New Wine with Rob Ickes. He moved to Nashville in 1990 and played with the Lynn Morris Band before joining Alison Krauss and Union Station in October 1991.
With Union Station he shared Grammys for albums like Every Time You Say Goodbye, So Long So Wrong, and New Favorite, and for the O Brother, Where Art Thou? soundtrack, Album of the Year in 2001. He released gospel solo albums on Rounder: Faraway Land (2001), Doorway (2005), and Walking Song (2013). He gave the IBMA keynote in 2004. In 2015 he released Hogan’s House of Music, named after his father’s store. From 2022 to 2024 he recorded with Irish banjo player Damian O’Kane, and in 2023 he joined Southern Legacy with Don Rigsby and Josh Williams.
Playing style
Block plays Scruggs-based banjo and teaches J.D. Crowe’s licks. In his lessons he stresses timing, string bends, and what he calls swagger: playing with confidence and feel. He also plays guitar in Union Station and writes songs, which shapes how he backs up a vocal.
Influences and legacy
Block learned from Monroe, J.D. Crowe, the Stanley Brothers, and Earl Scruggs. He played beside Alison Krauss and Dan Tyminski in Union Station, and with Sierra Hull and Kenny Smith. His online lessons pass on Crowe’s style to a new generation.
Signature tunes and songs
Smashville, with Sierra Hull and Kenny Smith Wild Bill Jones Fireball Mail.
Essential recordings
Every Time You Say Goodbye, Alison Krauss and Union Station (1992) So Long So Wrong, Alison Krauss and Union Station (1997) O Brother, Where Art Thou? soundtrack (2000) Faraway Land (Rounder, 2001) Walking Song (Rounder, 2013)
Awards and honors
Grammy, Best Bluegrass Album, Every Time You Say Goodbye (1992) Grammy, Best Bluegrass Album, So Long So Wrong (1997) Grammy, Best Country Instrumental Performance, Little Liza Jane (1997) Grammy, Best Bluegrass Album, New Favorite (2001) Grammy, Album of the Year, O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2001) 14 Grammy Awards in total Six IBMA awards
Watch and listen
In this mini-lesson, Block talks about timing, bends, and swagger.
He breaks down two J.D. Crowe licks here.
What to learn from Block
Watch his Crowe licks lesson and learn both licks. Then put them in Wild Bill Jones, which he also teaches. The technique to steal is swagger. Block means playing with confidence and a strong sense of time, not speed. Play a simple break and lean into the beat as if you meant every note.
Sources
Ron Block, Wikipedia Block, Ron, BluegrassBios.com
Related players
See the banjo players hub and the bluegrass banjo guide for more pickers. Block learned from J.D. Crowe, played with Lynn Morris, and plays in Union Station with Dan Tyminski.