b. 19 January 1935, Jointerville, Texas, USA, d. 18 August 2004, Gordonsville, Virginia, USA. A noted singer and guitarist, Waller played traditional bluegrass music but was always ready to accommodate changes without losing his innate musical integrity. In the mid-50s he appeared on radio on The Louisiana Hayride, encountering and occasionally teaming up with Elvis Presley. In midsummer 1957, in Arlington, Virginia, Waller formed his band, the Country Gentlemen. Among the sidemen in the line-up were Eddie Adcock, John Duffey and Tom Gray. Over the next half-century, many musicians passed through the ranks of the band although it was the original line-up that was named when, in 1996, the Country Gentlemen were inducted into the International Bluegrass Music Association Hall of Honor. Waller was a mainstay of the bluegrass revival, and was also popular with the folk music audience of the 60s and 70s. Although he always insisted in interviews that he was not a country music player, he did play at Nashville’s Grand Ole Opry, appearing there first in 1967. He continued performing into the early 00s, despite failing health. Waller’s last album, Songs Of The American Spirit, was recorded early in 2004 and was produced by Adcock, Waller’s sideman of old. Adcock had recently undergone multiple bypass surgery, and Waller planned to play at a benefit concert in Nashville that would raise funds to help his friend, but died two days before the gig. His son, Randy Waller, continues performing his father’s legacy.