Russ Barenberg's music is a treat for lovers of exquisite acoustic guitar and mandolin playing, and his compositions and arrangements are among the finest that new acoustic music has to offer. His distinctive style stands out as melodically inspired and meaningfully focused. Russ's flair for melody is strongly evident in his compositions, many of which are singable and memorable, often with an uncanny sense of inevitability or "rightness." While clear and direct, his music is broadly resonant, revealing a contemporary world only accessible by way of a deeply felt understanding of traditional music.
Russ made his recording debut in 1970 with bluegrass trailblazers, Country Cooking. Since then he has collaborated with the finest and most innovative acoustic musicians in the country in a process of continual evolution and discovery. He has produced and arranged three critically acclaimed albums of his own music for Rounder Records, and his newest release, When at Last, has just been released by Compass Records. Russ collaborated with Jerry Douglas and Edgar Meyer on their landmark recording, Skip, Hop & Wobble (Sugar Hill), and played in that celebrated trio throughout the late eighties and nineties. His playing can be heard in a variety of films, including Ken Burns’ PBS documentary series, The Civil War, where his sensitive touch contributes greatly to the effectiveness of that highly praised soundtrack.
Russ has contributed to projects ranging from commercial artists such as Randy Travis, to the traditional fiddle and dance music of Fiddle Fever, to the cutting edge productions of Jerry Douglas, Mark O'Connor, and Darol Anger. In addition to his recording work, he has written three guitar instruction books and is the featured instructor on several best-selling series of lessons available from Homespun Tapes, Russ is an excellent writer whose credits include articles for magazines such as Guitar Player and Frets, a regularly featured column in Guitar Extra magazine, program notes for events including the Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival, and album liner notes for Rounder Records and Sugar Hill Records. He has performed, led workshops, and appeared on radio and television throughout the United States as well as in Europe, the British Isles, Asia, and the Middle East. Russ currently lives in Nashville and in addition to freelancing and playing solo acoustic dates, plays regularly in a duo with guitarist Bryan Sutton.
"I got swept up in the folk and bluegrass revival in the sixties and am still riding the wave. I've had many wonderful opportunities over the years to work with amazing musicians, and I am very thankful for it. Love playing the guitar, love playing the mandolin, but particularly love writing and arranging tunes and then working with great musicians to bring them to life." --Russ
"Russ is such a solid player, and his soloing is so lyrical. He reminds me to keep a melodic idea strong in my solos. He’s one of those great improvisers, like Jerry Douglas and Stuart Duncan, that always have a great melody in their solos."—Bryan Sutton
"You’ll never find a better compositional style than this in the folk-chamber-jazz world, and Russ’s singing tone and incredibly well-constructed solos may never be topped."—Chris Proctor
"Russ is the melodic king. He can turn even an incoherent chord passage into a beautiful melody." –Jerry Douglas
"One of the most melodic instrumentalists in contemporary bluegrass."
—Craig Harris, All Music Guide
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