ABOUT

Greg Blake - Winner of the 2023 IBMA Male Vocalist of the Year Award

You'll hear it in his voice immediately: the original strain of Appalachian mountain music that lies at the heart of all great modern bluegrass and country.

Greg was born and raised in the mountains of West by God, Virginia. When he sings, you can hear a voice that connects to the grand old generations of mountain singers, invested with a rich twang and rumbling drawl and the kind of eerily powerful high tenor cry that first inspired the 'high, lonesome sound,' a distinctive vocal style in bluegrass music characterized by its haunting, emotional quality.

Greg is the winner of the 2023 International Bluegrass Association (IBMA) Male Vocalist of the Year Award and received a 2022 nomination in that category. In addition, he is a five-time winner of the Society for the Preservation of Bluegrass Music in America (SPBGMA) Guitarist of the Year Award and received a 2024 nomination. He is twice nominated for the SPBGMA Traditional Male Vocalist of the Year Award, and is the winner of the Kansas State Flatpicking championship.

Greg's musical journey began in his Appalachian home, where he was surrounded by the sounds of country greats on television and radio. Even as he played with G.I. Joes, Tonka Trucks, and Hot Wheels, singing along felt like the most natural thing to do. At the tender age of seven, he pleaded with his grandma for a guitar, determined to accompany himself while singing. This early determination and love for music set the stage for his future in the bluegrass scene.

After completing his high school education, Greg's journey led him to Kansas City, where he enrolled at the Kansas City College and Bible School. It was here that he met Tracey Barlow from Tulsa, Oklahoma, and their love story began. They soon tied the knot, and their union was blessed with two wonderful children, Trent and Alayna. The family grew with the arrival of a grandson in 2021 and a granddaughter in the spring of 2024. However, their happiness was marred by the untimely passing of Tracey in February 2022. In January 2024, Greg found love again and married Joy Sue King, starting a new chapter in his life in Asheville, North Carolina.

During his time in Kansas City, Greg began playing in more and more bands, eventually recording on 12 albums for groups such as the Bluegrass Missourians and The Harvest Quartet, among others.

The HeartLande Quartet began in 1991 with a singing contest and an opportunity to perform an opening song before the world-renowned Commodores took the stage in Kansas City, Missouri. Still performing today, the group includes Greg Blake, Jeff Lyon, Fred Lynch, and Steve Powell, who sing their favorite tunes from across the years—Gospel, Country, Bluegrass, and a few other styles along the way.

Greg's career in the ministry took him to Colorado in 2007. A couple of years later, he met banjo ace Jeff Scroggins and his son, Tristan Scroggins, and formed the band Jeff Scroggins and Colorado (2009-2019). Jeff's and Tristan's innovative and virtuosic playing, along with Greg's traditional yet distinctive singing, created a formula for one of the most sought-after bluegrass acts in the U.S. and abroad.

As the band became increasingly in demand, Greg decided to transition from his lifelong calling as a minister to a full-time career in the bluegrass scene. In 2015, he released his debut solo album, Songs of the Heart and Home. The album marks him spreading his wings as a vocalist and bandleader, crafting genre-crossing music and following in the footsteps of his idol, Mac Wiseman, to create music that appeals to fans of Bluegrass, Folk, Country, and Gospel alike. It's no small thing that Greg was able to gather some of the best musicians and vocalists in bluegrass to join him on his debut solo album, such as 3-time IBMA Female Vocalist of the Year Claire Lynch, K.C. Groves (Uncle Earl), bluegrass icon Laurie Lewis, mandolinist John Reischman, fiddler Blaine Sprouse, bassist Mark Schatz and dobro master Sally Van Meter (who also produced the album). But it's his voice that rings out above them all, earnestly delivering songs of family, love, and life in the hills.

Greg rapidly became known as one of the festival fans' favorite singers and headlining artists; those like Del McCoury and others say, "he's a singer's singer." A big man with an even bigger heart, he brings an uplifting joy to the music he knows and loves. Unfettered by genre divisions and unconstrained by tradition, he just follows his heart to find the deep mountain roots of the music, infusing everything he sings with a powerful, soaring spirit.

In 2021, Greg was asked by one of the premier bluegrass bands in the industry, The Special Consensus, to take over the lead vocalist and guitarist roles.  In his "spare time," you'll also see Greg in special appearances alongside the likes of Jesse Brock, Jason Carter, and several others. He also continues to perform with his band, Greg Blake and Hometown, which released its album, The View from Home, in December 2022.

In April 2023, Turnberry Records released Greg's solo album, People, Places, and Songs, which Bluegrass Today says 'exhibits his smooth lead vocals and contains stellar material from start to finish.' This album, along with his debut solo album, Songs of the Heart and Home, showcases Greg's versatility as a vocalist and bandleader.  Greg's latest singles on Turnberry Records include 'It Aint' Their Heart That's Breaking,' the beautiful duet with Amanda Cook, 'Out of Control Raging Fire,' which received a 2025 Josie Music Award Nomination for Collaborative Song of the Year (Male/Female), and the fan favorite 'Bluefield Mountain Wind.'

After touring the world and raising a family, he's poised to become one of the true Appalachian stars of modern bluegrass.