Joe Mullins was born and raised in southwestern Ohio. His father Paul "Moon" Mullins was a respected fiddler and broadcaster of a daytime bluegrass show on Classic Country Radio for more than four decades. Mullins toured and recorded as a member of the Traditional Grass, the band he founded with his father, from 1983 until 1995. The band signed to
Rebel Records and recorded four albums for the label between 1992 and 1995 following four previous independent projects on cassette. In 1995, Mullins released
Just A Five String & Fiddle, an album of duets with the late fiddler Gerald Evans, with whom he'd played in Traditional Grass. In 1997, Mullins became a founding member of the band
Longview, along with
Dudley Connell,
James King,
Don Rigsby, Glen Duncan, and
Marshall Wilborn. Longview earned the
International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA) Song of the Year and Recorded Event of the Year awards. In 2006, Mullins formed his band The Radio Ramblers to promote his radio stations. Members included Adam McIntosh (guitar), Evan McGregor (fiddle), Mike Terry (mandolin), and Tim Kidd (bass). The band released their first CD in 2007 called
Tuned In (independent MULLINS-3272-CD) In 2013, Mullins and
Junior Sisk released
Hall of Fame Bluegrass, an album of duets to honor members of the Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame. Assisting were
Jason Carter,
Jesse Brock,
Rob Ickes,
Dudley Connell, and
Marshall Wilborn. On July 27, 2013, Joe Mullins and the Radio Ramblers made their Grand Ole Opry debut, and have continued to make regular appearances ever since. Mullins released the album
Another Day From Life in 2014. In 2015, Mullins and the Radio Ramblers released the album
Sacred Memories which featured contributions from
Ricky Skaggs,
Rhonda Vincent, and
the Isaacs and won two
IBMA awards for Gospel Recording of the Year in 2016 and 2017. Mullins released the album
The Story We Tell in 2017. The Radio Ramblers included Mullins (banjo), Mike Terry (mandolin), Jason Barie (fiddle), Duane Sparks (guitar), and Randy Barnes (bass). Joe and the Radio Ramblers changed recording labels with a November 13, 2018 announcement and have released their debut album on
Billy Blue Records on March 29, 2019 titled
For the Record. Joe is widely considered one of the world's most accomplished five-string banjo players in the traditional bluegrass style. Although primarily a
Scruggs style player, his playing is also influenced by the work of
J.D. Crowe,
Sonny Osborne, and
Don Reno. Vocal influences are apparent from the
Osborne Brothers and
Paul Williams.
Awards Mullins has won the following
International Bluegrass Music Association (
IBMA) awards: • 1998: Song of the Year "Lonesome Old Home", Longview (artists), Ed Hamilton (songwriter),
Longview (project),
Rounder Records • 1998: Recorded Event of the Year,
Longview, Longview,
Rounder Records • 2001: Instrumental Recording of the Year award (for his participation on the collaborative album
Knee Deep In Bluegrass) • 2006: Album of the Year (for his work on
Celebration of Life for Skaggs Family Records) • 2012: Emerging Artist of the Year - Joe Mullins and the Radio Ramblers • 2013: Liner Notes, written by Fred Bartenstein, They're Playing My Song, Joe Mullins & The Radio Ramblers (artist),
Rebel Records • 2016: Broadcaster of the Year - Joe Mullins • 2016: Liner Notes, written by Joe's son Daniel Mullins - The Blues Are Still The Blues, The Traditional Grass (artist),
Rebel Records • 2016: Gospel Recording of the Year (for the song "All Dressed Up” from his
Sacred Memories album for
Rebel Records) • 2017: Gospel Recording of the Year (for the song "Sacred Memories" with
Ricky Skaggs and
Sharon White, from the
Sacred Memories album for
Rebel Records) • 2018: Liner Notes, written by Craig Havighurst - The Story We Tell, Joe Mullins and the Radio Ramblers (
Rebel Records) • 2018: Song of the Year "If I'd Have Wrote That Song", Joe Mullins and the Radio Ramblers (artists),
Larry Cordle, Larry Shell, & James Silvers (songwriters) from
The Story We Tell album (
Rebel Records) Mullins has also been awarded by the Society for the Preservation of Bluegrass Music of America (
SPBGMA) • 2011: Broadcaster of the Year - Joe Mullins • 2018: Bluegrass Gospel Group of the Year - Joe Mullins and the Radio Ramblers • 2023: Banjo Player of the Year
Other projects Mullins organizes the Southern Ohio Indoor Music Festival each March and November at the Roberts Centre in Wilmington, Ohio. In 2014, Mullins was elected to the
IBMA Board of Directors and in 2016, he was elected as Chairperson of the IBMA Board of Directors. In September 2017, Mullins was re-elected as Chairperson of the
IBMA Board of Directors.
Personal life Mullins lives near
Cedarville, Ohio with his wife Tammy, son Daniel, and daughter Sarah. He is the son of the late Paul and Prudence Mullins, and older brother to Christy Mullins Jones. == Discography ==