Bryan Sutton Bridges Bluegrass Past And Future, Blends Genres On From Roots to Branches Vol. 1

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One of the most respected guitarists in acoustic music, Bryan Sutton uses From Roots to Branches, Vol. 1 to celebrate the artists, friendships, and musical influences that have shaped his career. The album features an impressive lineup of collaborators, with each track pairing Sutton in intimate duets that bridge bluegrass tradition with the genre’s modern evolution.  Available August 28, 2026, from Mountain Home Music.

Festy GoNuts’ Take:

There’s pickin’, and there’s pickin’.

Bryan Sutton has spent a lifetime honing the craft of the latter, and if you are unfamiliar with the difference, then you have not yet listened to Bryan Sutton.

Think of the best bluegrass picker you can.  The fastest.  The most stylish.  The most technically sound.  Yeah, we know who many of you are thinking of.  Well, Bryan Sutton is who they strive to be.

It’s true.

In fact, when Howard Stern asked Billy Strings, “Who is the best guitar player around today?”, Billy didn’t hesitate with his answer of “Bryan Sutton.” “I look up to him as a musician,” Strings said, “and he’s kind of one of my mentors…he’s just a really musical cat.”

Sutton spent the turn of the century as a studio session musician and became one of the most sought-after Nashville cats, appearing on tracks by everyone from Ricky Scaggs, Dolly Parton, Martina McBride, Faith Hill and Reba McEntire to Linda Ronstadt, Kenny Rogers, Rhonda Vincent, Cyndi Lauper, The Chieftains, Jessica Simpson and Tim McGraw.  Oh yeah, he was also in Hot Rize for a bit!

Along the way, he recorded a slew of solo albums and racked up a record-holding 10 International Bluegrass Music Association Guitar Player of the Year trophies — more than any other recipient in the award’s 35-year history.

So, yeah, whoever your guitar hero is, there’s a pretty good chance that their hero is Bryan Sutton.

Now, with his newest release, From Roots to Branches Vol. 1, Sutton is going even further into the lands of legends and cementing his place amongst them.  On the 11-song LP, Sutton has tapped into a huge list of talent and recorded unique duets that bridge generations, bend styles, and showcase some of the best artistry you will hear on an album this year.

From Roots to Branches Vol. 1 kicks off with a bang on “The Devil Went Down to Deep Gap,” a duet with the young bluegrass phenom, Billy Strings.  The two take the recognizable staple to entirely new places, evoking the spirits of Metallica and Tenacious D while telling the story of the one-and-only Doc Watson.  Let your brain spin out thinking of Billy Strings recording a song with his mentor, Sutton, who is paying tribute to one of his heroes, Doc Watson.  🤯

Doc Watson fans (um, I guess everybody?) have another treat in store, with the previously unreleased recording of Sutton and Watson performing the Merle Haggard classic “Working Man’s Blues.” Originally recorded 20 years ago during a spontaneous moment while the pair were in the studio for Sutton’s 2006 release of duets, Not Too Far from the Tree, the track never appeared on that album.

While every track on the From Roots to Branches Vol. 1 shines, a notable highlight is another previously unreleased, early 2000s duet with the late Tony Rice on the Carter Family tune, “Storms Are on the Ocean.”  Sutton says this version honors the memory of Mountain Home Music founder Mickey Gamble, who passed away earlier this year.

With a list of bluegrass stars like Kenny Smith, Sierra Hull, Trey Hensley, Jake Stargel, Chris Eldridge, and Cody Kilby, alongside cross-genre icons like Joe Bonamassa and Tommy Emmanuel, Sutton has assembled an all-star cast to create duets that run the gamut from classic to unique, vintage to new, traditional to experimental.

So next time you’re telling your friends about how great Billy Strings is, remember who Billy is telling his friends about, and switch the album over to From Roots to Branches Vol. 1.

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