| Randy Kohrs | |
| Background: | non_vocal_instrumentalist |
| Birth Place: | New Virginia, Iowa |
| Genre: | Bluegrass music, country music |
| Occupation: | Musician, recording engineer |
| Instrument: | Acoustic and electric resonator guitar, acoustic and electric guitar, lap steel guitar, pedal steel guitar, slide guitar, mandolin, banjo, upright bass[1] |
| Years Active: | 1995–present |
| Label: | Lonesome Day, Rural Rhythm, Left of Center |
Randy Alan Kohrs[2] is an American multi-instrumentalist best known for his resonator guitar prowess, but he plays 13 instruments. He is also a Grammy-winning producer and recording engineer.[3]
Kohrs was raised on a farm near the rural town of New Virginia, Iowa. He learned acoustic guitar from his uncle at age 8, quickly followed by resonator guitar. In his teens, Kohrs played with the Missouri bluegrass band Possum Trot. He played with them for 10 years, while also fronting a local country band. He continued to learn other instruments, including electric guitar, drums, mandolin, banjo, pedal steel, and bass.[4]
In 1995, Kohrs moved to Nashville, where Hank Williams III hired him to play in his band, then he toured in support of Tom T. Hall.[5] [6]
In 1998, he joined David Parmley, Scott Vestal and Continental Divide, singing tenor playing dobro. He contributed his skills to the album Feel Good Day.[7]
Then Kohrs toured with Holly Dunn for two years, and joined the John Cowan Band in 2000, playing on the album Always Take Me Back.[8]
Kohrs backed Patty Loveless on a taping of PBS' Austin City Limits television show. In 2003, Kohrs toured with Dolly Parton in her band the Blueniques, playing on three of her albums and performing as her opening act.[9] [10]
In 2001, Kohrs released his first solo album A Crack in My Armour on Junction Records, and formed his own band The Lites. Guests on the album included Scott Vestal, Rickie Simpkins, and Stuart Duncan.
Kohrs followed up in 2003 with the album Now It’s Empty on his own Left Of Center label. The album featured John Hughey on pedal steel and James Mitchell on electric guitar.
Kohrs' next album was I’m Torn in 2004, which featured a duet with Dolly Parton on "It Looked Good On Paper."[11] [12]
In 2007, Kohrs released the Old Photograph album, which featured Scott Vestal and Scott Haas on banjo, Jim Hurst, Clay Hess and Andrew Crawford on guitar, Tim Crouch and Ashley Brown on fiddle, Aaron Ramsey and Jesse Cobb on mandolin, and Jim Weaver and Darren Vincent on bass.
In 2009, Kohrs released the album Quicksand on Rural Rhythm Records with Aaron Ramsey and Adam Steffey on mandolin. Kohrs composed five of the songs on the album.[13]
Kohrs is a recording engineer and producer, and operates Slack Key studios in Nashville, where he has recorded Larry Cordle & Lonesome Standard Time, Hank Williams III, Jim Lauderdale, and others.[14]
In 2009, Jimmy Ross introduced the concept of a compilation album dedicated to luthier Tim Scheerhorn.[15] Besides producing, engineering and mixing the album Hornography, he released it on his Left of Center label. The album featured Kohrs, Ross, Scheerhorn, Rob Ickes, and resonator guitar artists.[16]
In 2007, Kohrs won a Grammy award for his contributions to Jim Lauderdale's album The Bluegrass Diaries.[17]
Kohrs being nominated numerous times for Dobro Player of the Year by the International Bluegrass Music Association.
Kohrs proposed to his wife Shaunna Larkin onstage during a Dolly Parton concert.[18] [19] They got married in a ceremony at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville in September 2003.[20]
Randy Kohrs married fiddler and vocalist Ashley Brown in April 2011 and divorced in 2017.[21]