Wayne Benson is a mandolin player and songwriter from Charlotte, North Carolina. He joined Russell Moore and IIIrd Tyme Out in 1993 and, apart from a few years with the John Cowan Band, has played with them ever since. The band won IBMA Vocal Group of the Year seven straight years, from 1994 to 2000, and SPBGMA named Benson Mandolin Player of the Year five years in a row, from 1999 to 2003. Gibson issued a Wayne Benson signature mandolin in 2003.
Why Benson matters
Benson is known for a personal approach to the mandolin. His fills and breaks are full of unusual note choices, modal sounds, and phrases that sit just outside the usual bluegrass licks, yet they always serve the vocal band he plays in. He also teaches, through instructional DVDs, private lessons, and his own video lessons on fills and modes. His duet album with Alan Bibey, The Mandolin Chronicles, shows two styles of modern bluegrass mandolin side by side.
Life and career
Benson grew up in Charlotte, North Carolina, in a musical family. His father played fiddle, banjo, and guitar with Wayne’s uncles. He got a toy guitar for Christmas at seven and learned by sitting in on family jams. He started mandolin at 15, and in his late teens he was part of the bluegrass scene in Denton, North Carolina.
In 1989 banjo player Scott Vestal invited him into Livewire, and the band recorded Wired for Rounder in 1990. In 1993 he joined Russell Moore and IIIrd Tyme Out, replacing Lou Reid, who had followed founding mandolinist Alan Bibey. He played on the band’s records through Back to the MAC (2001) during its run of Vocal Group of the Year awards. In 2004 he left to join the John Cowan Band, recording with Cowan, then returned to IIIrd Tyme Out in 2007.
His instrumental album An Instrumental Anthology came out on Pinecastle in 2003 with Aubrey Haynie, Rob Ickes, Ron Stewart, and John Cowan. In 2006 he toured with the Wreckers, the duo of Michelle Branch and Jessica Harp, and appeared on The Tonight Show. In 2013 he and Alan Bibey released The Mandolin Chronicles on Pinecastle.
Playing style
Benson’s style is melodic and inventive. He likes modal and minor sounds, and his fills often outline the chord in an unexpected way. He plays crisp, clean single-note lines with a bright tone, and his double stops are well voiced.
In a vocal band he plays behind the singers with taste. His fills slip between vocal lines and never step on the words, which is a big reason IIIrd Tyme Out’s harmonies shine.
Influences and legacy
Benson grew up on his family’s music and the Denton, North Carolina, bluegrass scene. He has played beside Russell Moore, Scott Vestal, John Cowan, Aubrey Haynie, and Ron Stewart.
He followed Alan Bibey and Lou Reid in IIIrd Tyme Out, and later made a duet album with Bibey. He appeared on Jimmy Gaudreau’s 1994 album of young mandolin players.
Signature tunes and songs
Ole Rowdy Grey Eagle.
Essential recordings
Wired, with Livewire (Rounder, 1990) Living on the Other Side, with IIIrd Tyme Out (Rounder, 1996) An Instrumental Anthology (Pinecastle, 2003) New Tattoo, with John Cowan (Pinecastle, 2006) The Mandolin Chronicles, with Alan Bibey (Pinecastle, 2013)
Awards and honors
IBMA Vocal Group of the Year, with IIIrd Tyme Out (1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000) SPBGMA Mandolin Player of the Year (1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003)
Watch and listen
Benson teaches how to play bluegrass mandolin fills on his own channel. It is a practical lesson for anyone who plays behind singers.
What to learn from Benson
Learn to play fills. Pick a song with space at the end of each vocal line. In each gap, play a short phrase of two to four notes that leads to the next chord, and stop before the singer starts again. Benson’s playing shows that a great band mandolinist is judged as much by the fills as by the breaks.
Sources
Wayne Benson, Wikipedia Russell Moore and IIIrd Tyme Out, Wikipedia Alan Bibey, Wikipedia
Related players
See the mandolin players hub and the mandolin guide. Benson made a duet album with Alan Bibey. Danny Roberts and Don Rigsby also hold the mandolin chair in strong vocal bands.