Bryan McDowell is a multi-instrumentalist and singer from Canton, North Carolina. In 2009, at age 18, he won the Winfield flatpick guitar, mandolin, and old time fiddle contests in the same week. No one had done that before. He went on to play with the Claire Lynch Band and now records for Mountain Fever Records.
Why McDowell matters
Most contest players own one instrument. McDowell won national titles on three. His own count puts him at 21 first-place wins on fiddle, mandolin, and guitar across 2009 and 2010. For a jammer, that record shows what happens when a player learns the tune, not the fingering.
Life and career
McDowell grew up in Canton, in western North Carolina, and started out in The McDowell Family Band, which recorded two CDs. Fiddler Arvil Freeman mentored him. He recorded The Triple Fiddle Album with his sister Emma and Freeman. In 2008 IBMA picked him as one of ten songwriters to perform at its World of Bluegrass event in Nashville.
In 2009 he swept Winfield: first place in flatpick guitar, mandolin, and old time fiddle. In 2010 he won the Winfield mandolin contest again, the Doc Watson guitar contest at MerleFest, the Wayne C. Henderson guitar contest, and the RockyGrass fiddle, flatpick, and banjo contests.
He played fiddle in a band called Second Circle and formed The Winfield Three with Eric Hardin and Brandon Davis. In December 2011 he joined the Claire Lynch Band on mandolin and fiddle, replacing Jason Thomas. He played banjo, fiddle, guitar, mandolin, and tenor banjo on Lynch’s 2016 album North by South, which earned a Grammy nomination.
In 2021 he and bassist Mark Schatz, both former Claire Lynch Band members, released the duo album Grit & Polish. He has recorded with or written for Molly Tuttle, Sierra Hull, and John McEuen. In April 2025 he signed with Mountain Fever Records. His self-titled album followed in November 2025 with seven of his own songs and guests including Bronwyn Keith-Hynes and Mark Schatz.
Playing style
McDowell is a fiddler, mandolinist, and guitarist in equal measure, and his guitar breaks carry the connected phrasing of a fiddle line. Bluegrass Today heard “fire and flair” in his early Claire Lynch shows. He also sings lead and tenor, so on his recent records the guitar sits inside a band sound rather than out front as a contest piece.
Influences and legacy
Arvil Freeman, a western North Carolina fiddler, was his mentor. He came up in a family band. He played beside Claire Lynch and Mark Schatz for years, and beside Allen Shadd and Eric Hardin on workshop and contest stages.
Essential recordings
The Contestant (studio versions of his contest tunes) North by South, Claire Lynch (2016) Grit & Polish, Mark Schatz and Bryan McDowell (2021) Bryan McDowell (Mountain Fever Records, 2025)
Awards and honors
National Flatpicking Championship, Walnut Valley Festival, first place (2009) National Mandolin Championship, Walnut Valley Festival, first place (2009, 2010) Walnut Valley Old Time Fiddle Championship, first place (2009) MerleFest mandolin contest, first place (2009) Doc Watson Guitar Championship, MerleFest, first place (2010) Wayne C. Henderson guitar contest, first place (2010) RockyGrass fiddle, flatpick, and banjo contests, first place (2010) Galax fiddle contest, first place (2009), and guitar contest, first place (2010) New England Flatpick Championship, first place (2009) Robin Kessinger guitar contest, first place (2009) IBMA World of Bluegrass, one of ten songwriters selected (2008)
Watch and listen
Thompson Guitars filmed McDowell as one of its artists. Watch how he phrases a guitar break like a fiddle line.
McDowell and Allen Shadd trade breaks on the swing tune Lady Be Good at a Modern Music Workshop event. Listen for how each player hands the tune off without dropping the time.
What to learn from McDowell
Learn Arkansas Traveler on guitar by singing it first, then find the notes you sang. The technique to steal is his cross-instrument ear. Once a tune sits in the head, a pick, a bow, or a mandolin can all get to it. That is how one player won three Winfield contests in a week.
Sources
Winners archive, alphabetical, Walnut Valley Festival Bryan McDowell, Pickers Paradise Bryan McDowell Music The education of Bryan McDowell, Bluegrass Today Bryan McDowell to Mountain Fever, with a new single, Bluegrass Today Self-titled, Bryan McDowell, Bluegrass Today Grit & Polish, Mark Schatz and Bryan McDowell, Bluegrass Today North by South, Wikipedia
Related players
See the guitar players hub and the guitar guide for more flatpickers. Eric Hardin played with him in The Winfield Three. Andrew Hatfield is another player on this site who has won both the Winfield flatpick and mandolin contests. Allen Shadd has shared workshop stages with him.