David “Dawg” Grisman on Mandolin, Bluegrass, and the Birth of Dawg Music

David "Dawg" Grisman didn’t just master the mandolin—he redefined it. With a tone as crisp as mountain air and a vocabulary that spanned bluegrass, jazz, folk, and world music, Dawg built a sound that was entirely his own. They called it “Dawg music,” because no other label could contain it.

Born in New Jersey and raised on the great American songbook, David began as a bluegrass disciple before falling under the spell of bebop and swing. By the late ’60s, he was collaborating with Jerry Garcia, Stéphane Grappelli, Peter Rowan, and other visionaries who, like him, saw tradition as a launching pad—not a finish line.

Through the ’70s and beyond, his group, the David Grisman Quintet, became a defining force in new acoustic music—fusing Django-style gypsy jazz, Bill Monroe-style drive, and chamber-level finesse. With Tony Rice on guitar, the Quintet set a new standard for instrumental interplay and innovation. Albums like Hot Dawg, Quintet ’80, and Dawg Jazz/Dawg Grass didn’t just push boundaries—they redrew the map.

Grisman also understood that preserving music was just as important as creating it. In 1990, he launched Acoustic Disc, an artist-run label dedicated to high-quality acoustic recordings. It became a home not only for his own projects, but for rare and essential releases by other acoustic giants—ensuring that this music could be heard the way it was meant to be.

Today, we explore the remarkable journey of David Grisman—a player, producer, and pioneer who carved out a space all his own, and in doing so, gave the rest of us a new way to listen.

Links For Dawg:
Acoustic Disc: https://acousticdisc.com/
Facebook:   / daviddawggrisman  
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/daviddawggr...
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/5udgy...

Rhynestone Links:
Instagram:   / rhynestoneproductions  
Facebook:   / rhynestoneproductions  
Tiktok:   / rhynestoneproductions  
X: https://x.com/rhynestonemusic
Email: Rhynestonemusic@gmail.com

Banner Driskell Links:
Tiktok:   / bannerdriskellmedia  
Instagram:   / bannerdriskellmedia  
Youtube:    / @undertheban