My guest on the podcast this week is Chris Eldridge, guitarist with Punch Brothers and Mighty Poplar.

Chris is not only one of my favourite guitarists, he's also one of my favourite people I've had on as a guest, so I'm delighted to welcome him back to Bluegrass Jam Along to celebrate the podcast's 400th episode.

In this special episode we're chatting about Bela Fleck's ground breaking record Drive. It's a record that's really important to Chris, and also played a key role in the early days of both The Infamous Stringdusters and Punch Brothers.

Chris talks about first hearing the record, why it grabbed his attention so much and why it holds a key place in not only Bela's output, but also in the rich tradition of progressive, instrumental string band music. We also talk about the remarkable contributions made by the players Bela assembled for this record, including Sam Bush, Mark Schatz, Jerry Douglas, Stuart Duncan, Mark O'Connor and, of course, Tony Rice.

It was a fascinating conversation to get to have. Drive is one of my favourite records and I know it's a favourite of so many bluegrass fans and players too.

Thanks Chris and here's to the next 400 episodes!

Happy picking!
Matt

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Thanks to Bryan Sutton for his wonderful theme tune to Bluegrass Jam Along (and to Justin Moses for playing the fiddle!)

Bluegrass Jam Along is proud to be sponsored by Collings Guitars and Mandolins

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