Chris Eldridge

Chris Eldridge (born June 27, 1982) is a Grammy Award winning American guitarist and singer. He is a member of Punch Brothers and frequently performs in a duo with fellow guitarist Julian Lage. He was the guitarist in the house band on Prairie Home Companion/Live From Here from 2016-2020. He was also a founding member of the bluegrass band The Infamous Stringdusters. His father is noted banjoist Ben Eldridge of the Seldom Scene.

Chris Eldridge
Eldridge in 2008
Background information
Born	(1982-06-27) June 27, 1982 (age 42)
Origin	Fredericksburg, Virginia, U.S.
Genres	Progressive bluegrass Bluegrass
Instrument	Guitar
Years active	2000-present
Labels	Nonesuch Records
Website	http://www.chriseldridge.net/

Biography

Chris Eldridge was born on June 27,^[1] 1982.^[2] Although initially drawn to electric guitar, Eldridge began developing an acoustic career by his mid-teens, largely due to his father, a founding member of the seminal bluegrass group The Seldom Scene. Eldridge later studied at Oberlin Conservatory, where he studied with legendary guitarist Tony Rice. After graduating, he joined the Seldom Scene with whom he received a Grammy nomination in 2007.^[3] In 2005 he founded a critically acclaimed bluegrass group, The Infamous Stringdusters. At the 2007 International Bluegrass Music Association awards Eldridge and his Stringdusters bandmates won Emerging artist of the Year, Song of the Year, and Album of the Year for their debut album, Fork in the Road.^[4]

In 2005 mandolinist Chris Thile, recruited Eldridge, along with banjoist Noam Pikelny, violinist Gabe Witcher, and bassist Greg Garrison, to start working on an ambitious project fusing bluegrass instrumentation with the rigor of classical composition. Eventually the musicians decided to form a band, Punch Brothers. Their debut album in 2008, Punch, has been described as "bluegrass instrumentation and spontaneity in the strictures of modern classical"^[5] as well as "American country-classical chamber music".^[6] Punch Brothers has released 6 full length albums and 2 EPs.

Eldridge appeared in the 2013 Coen brothers film Inside Llewyn Davis as Mike Timlin, the deceased duet partner of Llewyn Davis. Eldridge can be seen alongside Oscar Isaac several times throughout the movie on the front and back covers of Timlin and Davis' album, "If We Had Wings." Eldridge and Punch Brothers appeared throughout the movie's soundtrack.^[7]

Eldridge was featured in the exhibit, "American Currents: The Music of 2018" at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in Nashville, TN.^[8]

In 2019 Eldridge won the Instrumentalist of the Year award at the Americana Music Honors & Awards.^[9]

In 2020 he was named Visiting Associate Professor of Contemporary American Acoustic Music at Oberlin.^[10]

In 2023 he released an eponymous album with a new bluegrass supergroup called Mighty Poplar. Other members of the band include Noam Pikelny, Andrew Marlin, Alex Hargreaves and Greg Garrison.^[11]

Eldridge is a nine-time Grammy Award nominee, winning once in 2019 for Best Folk Album.^[3]

Discography

Punch Brothers

Year	Title	Label
2008	Punch	Nonesuch
2010	Antifogmatic	Nonesuch
2012	Who's Feeling Young Now?	Nonesuch
2012	Ahoy! (EP)	Nonesuch
2015	The Phosphorescent Blues	Nonesuch
2015	The Wireless (EP)	Nonesuch
2018	All Ashore	Nonesuch
2022	Hell on Church Street	Nonesuch

Mighty Poplar

Year	Title	Label
2023	Mighty Poplar	Free Dirt Records

Julian Lage & Chris Eldridge

Year	Title	Label
2013	Close to Picture (EP)	Modern Lore
2014	Avalon	Modern Lore
2017	Mount Royal	Free Dirt Records

The Infamous Stringdusters

Year	Title	Label
2006	The Infamous Stringdusters (EP)	Sugar Hill
2007	Fork in the Road	Sugar Hill

Seldom Scene

Year	Title	Label
2007	Scenechronized	Sugar Hill
2014	Long Time... Seldom Scene	Smithsonian Folkways

References

1. "Happy birthday to guitarist Chris Eldridge: Ben's son, Punch Brother". WNCW. June 27, 2012. Retrieved April 16, 2024 – via Facebook.
2. Tunis, Walter (April 17, 2012). "Punch Brothers bring superb musicianship, infectious spirit to Troubadour Series". Lexington Herald-Leader. Retrieved April 16, 2024. I was born in 1982, so his Graceland album was kind of ubiquitous when I was a kid.
3. "Chris Eldridge". grammy.com. Retrieved August 5, 2023.
4. "Awards by Year". Archived from the original on July 4, 2022. Retrieved April 16, 2023.
5. Paphides, Pete (January 25, 2008). "Chris Thile and his mandolin". The Times. London. Archived from the original on May 17, 2011. Retrieved May 22, 2010.
6. Holden, Stephen (February 22, 2008). "Covers and Classical Moves From a Bluegrass Virtuoso". The New York Times. Archived from the original on April 22, 2023. Retrieved April 16, 2023.
7. "Inside Llewyn Davis Trivia". IMDb. Archived from the original on April 28, 2023. Retrieved April 16, 2023.
8. "American Currents: The Music of 2018, Opens March 8, 2019 at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum". March 1, 2019. Archived from the original on April 16, 2023. Retrieved April 16, 2023.
9. "Americana Honors and Awards 2019: The Complete Winners List". Rolling Stone. September 11, 2019. Archived from the original on June 9, 2023. Retrieved April 15, 2023.
10. "Bluegrass Guitarist Chris Eldridge Named Visiting Faculty at Oberlin". November 9, 2020. Archived from the original on April 18, 2023. Retrieved April 16, 2023.
11. "Mighty Poplar Rises Up From Bluegrass Bedrock". March 3, 2023. Archived from the original on April 16, 2023. Retrieved April 16, 2023.

External links

• Chris Eldridge Official Website
• Punch Brothers Official Website
• Punch Brothers on Myspace
• Mighty Poplar Official Website
• Chris Eldridge discography at Discogs
• Chris Eldridge at IMDb