Banjoist Jim Mills left a distinct imprint on contemporary bluegrass as a solo artist and as a member of Doyle Lawson's Quicksilver and Ricky Skaggs' Kentucky Thunder. Mills began appearing on Lawson recordings during the late '80s, starting with I Heard the Angels Singing, and delivering a style reminiscent of Earl Scruggs'. He then recorded with the Bass Mountain Boys in the mid-'90s before launching his solo career. In 1999 he appeared on his first Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder album, Soldier of the Cross. He released his first solo album, Bound to Ride, in 1998. On Mills' second solo effort, My Dixie Home, he left room for a number of guest vocalists. Mills' position as a contemporary bluegrass mover and shaker was confirmed by a number of awards. Bound to Ride won the International Bluegrass Music Associations' (IBMA) Instrumental Album of the Year in 1999, and he also won the Instrumental Performer of the Year in the banjo category six times. Mills released an instructional video titled Jim Mills: A Winning Banjo Style. Jim Mills died on May 3, 2024; he was 57. ~ Ronnie D. Lankford, Jr., Rovi