Russ comes by his passion for bluegrass and the banjo in particular honestly, as his father Glenn has made handmade banjos and played fiddle and clawhammer banjo since the early 70’s, and as a result, Russ was exposed to a non-ending string of jams and traditional musical events while growing up. While learning to play, Russ had the opportunity to spend time with some of the great banjo players such as Chris Warner, Tom Adams, Mike Munford, Reed Martin and his first teacher Nev Jackson, each of which had an impact on his playing. Russ played banjo for the Virginia based band Gold Heart & Indiana based band Audie Blaylock & Redline. Russ is thrilled to have the honor & opportunity to travel the world playing hard-driving bluegrass with Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder!