Mike Compton

Mike Compton (1956- ), bluegrass mandolinist extraordinaire, was born in Meridian, Mississippi, in 1956. While he was growing up, he was the only musician in his family; however, on his paternal grandmother's side, the Galyeans had had a few dance musicians. In Nashville he began to work with former Bill Monroe sideman Hubert Davis. In the mid-1980s he joined the Nashville Bluegrass Band and played to great acclaim for four years. Next he joined John Hartford's string band, performing songs and tunes that catered to Hartford's passionate interest in old-time fiddle tunes. Mike played on six albums and toured extensively with the band until Hartford's death in 2001. Mike's other recording credits are extensive and impressive, but his most widely heard recording is as a member of the “Soggy Mountain Boys” on the Grammy-winning O Brother, Where Art Thou? soundtrack.