| Background: | person |
| Don Stover | |
| Birth Date: | 1928 |
| Death Date: | 1996 |
| Genre: | Bluegrass music |
| Instrument: | Banjo |
| Past Member Of: | The Lilly Brothers White Oak Mountain Boys |
Don Stover (1928-1996) was an American Bluegrass musician. He toured with numerous bands, most notably The Lilly Brothers. He is a member of both the Massachusetts Country Music Hall of Fame and the International Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame,
Stover was born in 1928 and learned to play banjo from his mother. He worked full-time as coal miner and played part-time in the band Coal River Valley Boys.[1] He later joined The Lilly Brothers & Don Stover when the group moved to Boston, Massachusetts in 1952.[2] At the time, the group was known as the Confederate Mountaineers and worked in various clubs which included the Hillbilly Ranch. The group was credited with introducing New England to Bluegrass music.[2]
Stover played banjo for Bill Monroe in 1957. Over the period of six months, they produced 11 recordings, including a remake of "Molly and Tenbrooks." The tracks became part of Monroe's 1958 album Knee Deep in Blue Grass.[3] After his time with The Lilly Brothers, Stover formed White Oak Mountain Boys.[4] He later moved to Maryland where he worked with musicians such as Bill Clifton and Red Rector.[5]
Stover was inducted to the Massachusetts Country Music Hall of Fame in 1987, the year after The Lilly Brothers earned the same.[2] He is also a member of the International Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame where he was inducted in 2002 along with other members of The Lilly Brothers & Don Stover.[6]
Stover died in 1996.[1]