04/22/2026
On this day in 1928 Jimmy Maynard was born in Temperance Hall, DeKalb County, Tennessee, (died 12/15/2015)
Who is Jimmy Maynard? We are glad you asked!
Jimmy became familiar with Bill Monroe’s music as a 13-year-old. He didn’t pursue music as a career initially, spending two years in Detroit then served in the Army for a while. In 1956 he moved to Nashville, where he got to know banjo player Curtis McPeake and fiddle player and another former Blue Grass Boy Charlie Smith and began hanging about backstage at the Grand Ole Opry and jammed with Bill Monroe.
The Opry backstage jamming led to Maynard being employed by Bill Monroe as a fill-in guitarist / lead singer.
He became a regular Blue Grass Boy for several stints during the first half of the 1960s and played on four recording sessions in 1961 and 1964. He can be heard singing lead on the chorus on the recording of Toy Heart, Shady Grove and Live and Let Live and playing guitar on four instrumentals. All are included on the LP Blue Grass Ramble (Decca DL 4266).
Maynard was a member of the band when Monroe made his Carnegie Hall debut in November 1961.
After joining Monroe, Maynard and Smith along with Bill Thomas (mandolin) and Bruce Weathers (banjo) formed the Cumberland Mountain Boys, a group which also included Johnny Montgomery. McPeake also played with the group at times.
They played on Radio WHIN in Gallatin, Tennessee, and on WCOR in Lebanon, Tennessee, at various times.
Jimmy Maynard died at his home on December 15, 2015, in Lebanon, Tennessee, due to cancer. He was 87 years old.
https://bluegrasstoday.com/jimmy-maynard-passes/
