Bill Runkle

This banjoist has played alongside some bluegrass greats including fiddler Vassar Clements and dobro picker Jerry Douglas, but remains a fairly obscure figure from the '70s and '80s scene. Bill Runkle is one of the few banjo players of note who cannot claim to have played with Bill Monroe & the Bluegrass Boys, a distinction worth mentioning since it sets him apart from so many others. Runkle is remembered mostly by bluegrass fans who followed the activities of the early Del McCoury bands, known as the Dixie Pals. By the mid-'80s, wide-scale recognition was finally coming McCo...