Mike Bub is the bass player from the Del McCoury Band’s classic lineup. He held the bass chair from 1992 to 2005, a lineup that stayed together for 13 years. He has won IBMA Bass Player of the Year six times, the latest in 2026. Since leaving McCoury he has been one of Nashville’s busiest bluegrass bass players.
Why Bub matters
Bub is the bass on the Del McCoury Band records that defined hard-driving bluegrass in the 1990s. The band was IBMA Entertainer of the Year in 1999, with Bub on bass, Jason Carter on fiddle, and Ronnie and Rob McCoury on mandolin and banjo. His six IBMA wins put him second only to Missy Raines in the history of the bass award.
Life and career
Bub is from Scottsdale, Arizona. In 1985 he co-founded the band Weary Hearts with Ron Block, Eric Uglum, and Butch Baldassari, playing bass. He moved to Nashville in 1989. In 1991 and 1992 he played banjo with Larry Cordle and Lonesome Standard Time.
In May 1992 he joined the Del McCoury Band on bass. With fiddler Jason Carter joining the same year, the band locked into a lineup that did not change for 13 years. He left in June 2005, and Alan Bartram took his place.
Since then he has worked with 18 South, Dale Ann Bradley, Peter Rowan, Tony Rice, Tim O’Brien, Vince Gill, and many others. He was a regular in the Sidemen, the Tuesday night band at Nashville’s Station Inn. In 2012 he received the first IBMA Momentum Award for Mentor of the Year. In 2019 he shared the IBMA Instrumental Recording of the Year with Missy Raines, Alison Brown, and Todd Phillips. He won his sixth Bass Player of the Year award in October 2026.
Playing style
Bub’s main work has been in traditional, hard-driving bluegrass bands, where the bass shares the beat with the rhythm guitar and the banjo. He also plays banjo, which he played on the road with Lonesome Standard Time, so he knows the banjo player’s side of that partnership.
Influences and legacy
Bub played beside Del McCoury, Ronnie McCoury, Rob McCoury, and Jason Carter for 13 years. Earlier he played with Ron Block and Butch Baldassari in Weary Hearts. His successor in the McCoury band, Alan Bartram, won the IBMA bass award in 2017.
Signature tunes and songs
Darlin’ Pal of Mine, the bass feature with Missy Raines and Todd Phillips.
Essential recordings
A Deeper Shade of Blue, Del McCoury Band (1993) The Cold Hard Facts, Del McCoury Band (1996) Del and the Boys, Del McCoury Band (2001) It’s Just the Night, Del McCoury Band (2003)
Awards and honors
IBMA Bass Player of the Year (1996, 1997, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2026) IBMA Momentum Award, Mentor of the Year (2012) IBMA Instrumental Recording of the Year, Darlin’ Pal of Mine, with Missy Raines, Alison Brown, and Todd Phillips (2019)
Watch and listen
A short profile of Bub as a bass player and Nashville bluegrass regular.
What to learn from Bub
Put on a 1990s Del McCoury Band record and play the bass part with your guitar player. Listen to Del’s rhythm guitar and put your notes right on top of his bass runs. Then try the same song while a banjo player rolls, and notice how the bass and banjo share the beat. Bub’s lesson is that the bass in a hard-driving band is one part of a rhythm section, not a solo instrument.
Sources
Bub, Mike, BluegrassBios.com Del McCoury Band, Wikipedia Awards by Category, IBMA 2026 IBMA Bluegrass Music Award winners, Bluegrass Today Missy Raines, Wikipedia
Related players
See the bass players hub and the bass guide. Alan Bartram followed him in the Del McCoury Band. Missy Raines and Todd Phillips recorded Darlin’ Pal of Mine with him.