Johnny Staats

Born and raised in West Virginia, Johnny Staats caught the bluegrass bug right from the start. With his mother playing piano, his father playing on the guitar, and his sister on the banjo, it seemed only natural that Johnny would get his first mandolin at the young age of seven.

"Just as I started to take mandolin lessons, my teacher passed away," Staats stated, "so I took matters in my own hands, and learned to play by ear from listening to records and 8 tracks of Bill Monroe, Country Gentleman, and many more.

Read more on Last.fm