Death; Jim Mills Bluegrass Banjo Player has died: James Mills was an American musician who was most recognized for his proficiency as a bluegrass banjo player. He played the instrument in the three-finger style, which was popularized by Earl Scruggs. Mills passed away on May 5, 2024. Additionally, Mills was well-known for his expertise on Gibson banjos from the pre-war era. Durham, North Carolina was his place of residence.
Mills spent fourteen years as the banjo player for Ricky Skaggs and Kentucky Thunder. In the summer of 2010, he decided to leave the band in order to concentrate on his business collecting, selling, and trading rare pre-war banjos. Mills has been working in this capacity ever since. Mills was a member of Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver for a period of five years throughout the 1980s, prior to his time spent with Skaggs being founded.
He has released three albums under his own name and has contributed to a great number of other recordings. In addition to winning the IBMA Instrumental Album of the Year award for his album Bound to Ride, he has won the banjo player of the year award seven times (1999, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2005, and 2006), making him the most successful banjo player in the history of the organization. Mills is the recipient of six Grammy Awards.
Mills was the owner of a number of Gibson Mastertone banjos before to the war. Among these was the well-known “Mack Crow” banjo, which was called after its original owner. It is the only factory-produced gold-plated RB-75 that Gibson has ever manufactured. Additionally, Mills held the RB-4 banjo, which had been owned by the late Snuffy Jenkins. Jim Mills’ signature model was based on the Mack Crow, and Huber Banjos was the company that created it. Mills published a book in 2009 titled Gibson Mastertones: Flathead 5-String Banjos of the 1930s and 1940s. The book was about Gibson banjos that were manufactured before the war.