Country Music Hall Of Fame & Museum To Feature Jerry Douglas As Next ‘Nashville Cats’ Honoree

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The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum will highlight the career of dobro virtuoso Jerry Douglas in the latest installment of its in-depth interview series “Nashville Cats” on March 7 in the museum’s Ford Theater.

Douglas grew up in Ohio with a father who played in a bluegrass band and took the family to music festivals. He became obsessed with the sound of dobro players such as Uncle Josh Graves, and took up the instrument, joining the Country Gentlemen before he even finished high school. Douglas later joined J. D. Crowe & the New South, then became a member of family band the Whites in the 1980s, which led to session work with Emmylou Harris and his former Country Gentlemen bandmate Ricky Skaggs.

During mainstream country’s revival of traditional sounds, Douglas’s fiery licks showed up on recordings by Marty Stuart, Randy Travis and Hank Williams Jr., as well as progressive bluegrass luminaries including Sam Bush and Béla Fleck. Douglas is a longtime member of Alison Krauss & Union Station and a contributor to the soundtrack for the film O Brother, Where Art Thou? He formed the award-winning Earls of Leicester in 2013 and has released three albums with the group. Douglas has also appeared on albums by artists including Elvis Costello, Sierra Ferrell and Mumford & Sons.

Throughout his career Douglas has won 16 Grammys, three Country Music Association Musician of the Year honors, 10 International Bluegrass Music Association Dobro Player of the Year awards, and was awarded a National Heritage Fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts. He was the Artist in Residence for the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in 2008, received a lifetime achievement award from the Americana Music Association in 2015, and was inducted into the International Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame in 2024.

The “Nashville Cats” interview will be moderated by museum writer-editor Jon Freeman and will be illustrated with rare photos, film and recordings, and following the program, Douglas will sign commemorative Hatch Show Print posters. Douglas is one of the three 2026 honorees chosen for the series, which spotlights renowned musicians and session singers who have played important roles in support of artists in either the recording studio or on concert tours.

“Nashville Cats” is included with museum admission and free to museum members, but seating is limited, and a program ticket is required for admittance. Tickets for the Douglas program will go on-sale to the public beginning today (Feb. 3) here.

Lorie Hollabaugh
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