Alan Bartram (born 1977) has played bass and sung in the Del McCoury Band since August 2005, when he replaced Mike Bub. Since 2009 he has also played in the Travelin’ McCourys, the band’s spinoff. He won IBMA Bass Player of the Year in 2017. Before McCoury he played with the Kenny and Amanda Smith Band and an early version of the Infamous Stringdusters.
Why Bartram matters
Bartram holds the bass chair in one of bluegrass music’s most honored bands and in its jam-band offshoot at the same time. With Del, he plays traditional hard-driving bluegrass. With the Travelin’ McCourys, he plays extended jams. He also sings lead and harmony, which makes him more than the rhythm section in both bands.
Life and career
Bartram was born on April 19, 1977, in Huntington, West Virginia. He was already playing guitar when an uncle took him to his first bluegrass festival at 16. His mother taught him to sing, and he learned bass by watching and listening to other bass players.
After college he moved to Nashville and joined the Kenny and Amanda Smith Band in 2003. While there he became a busy freelance player for tours and recordings. He played for a short time in the Infamous Stringdusters and is on their 2007 album Fork in the Road.
In August 2005 he joined the Del McCoury Band on bass. In 2009 the McCoury band’s members, minus Del, started touring as the Travelin’ McCourys, and Bartram has played in both bands since. He won IBMA Bass Player of the Year in 2017, his first win in the category.
Playing style
Bartram plays a 1939 American Standard upright bass, which he shows in a Cabin Sessions video. He plays both the Del McCoury Band’s traditional shows and the Travelin’ McCourys’ longer jam sets. He also sings in both bands.
Influences and legacy
Bartram learned bass by ear from other players. He followed Mike Bub in the Del McCoury Band. He plays beside Del McCoury, Ronnie McCoury, Rob McCoury, and Cody Kilby, and for many years Jason Carter. Vickie Vaughn names him as one of the bass players she studies.
Essential recordings
Always Never Enough, Kenny and Amanda Smith Band Fork in the Road, the Infamous Stringdusters (2007)
Awards and honors
IBMA Bass Player of the Year (2017)
Watch and listen
Bartram plays and talks about his 1939 American Standard bass.
What to learn from Bartram
Learn one song two ways. First play steady root and fifth quarter notes, as in a traditional set. Then play it as a jam: longer notes, a few passing tones, and room for the soloist to stretch. Bartram plays both kinds of shows, and switching on command is the skill that keeps a bass player working in more than one band.
Sources
Alan Bartram, Wikipedia Alan Bartram, Targhee Music Camp Del McCoury Band, Wikipedia Vickie Vaughn, Bluegrass Unlimited Awards by Category, IBMA
Related players
See the bass players hub and the bass guide. Mike Bub held the McCoury bass job before him. Vickie Vaughn studied his playing, and Tim Surrett won the IBMA bass award on either side of Bartram’s win.