Phil Leadbetter Biography
Phil Leadbetter
Phil Leadbetter Biography
Phil Leadbetter is one of the leading players of the resonator guitar.
In 2005 he was voted International Bluegrass Music Association Dobro Player Of The Year at Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, Tennessee, the third person in history to win that award, and the 1st ever to win in Nashville, TN. That same year he also took home the award for "Instrumental Album Of The Year" for his CD "Slide Effects". The tune "California Cottonfields" (which featured former Shenandoah lead singer Marty Raybon) went to the #1 spot on the National Bluegrass Chart for 2 straight months in 2005. In 1994, Phil received a Grammy Nomination for "Best Bluegrass Album" at the 37th Annual Grammy Awards for his work as a member of J.D Crowe And The New South on the album "Flashback".
Phil was born on March 31, 1962 in Knoxville, Tennessee. He was a 1980 graduate of Gibbs High School in Corryton, Tennessee. He currently plays in bluegrass band Grasstowne with partners Steve Gulley and Alan Bibey. Grasstowne released their first CD titled "The Road Headin' Home" in August 2007. In December 2007, the CD hit #1 on the National Bluegrass Chart exactally one year after the band was formed. The Phil Leadbetter Signature Dobro, manufactured by Gibson Guitar Corporation, is named after him. It features a square neck for steel guitar playing and a single inverted-cone resonator.
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