On Sunday, May 5, James Mills, an American musician predominantly recognized for his prowess as a bluegrass banjoist in the three-finger style popularized by Earl Scruggs, passed away, he was 57 years old. Additionally, Mills was renowned for his knowledge of pre-war Gibson banjos. The place of his residence was Durham, North Carolina. Mills spent fourteen years with Ricky Skaggs and Kentucky Thunder as their banjo player.
He quit the group in the summer of 2010 to pursue his business, which entailed the purchase, sale, and trade of rare pre-war banjos. Prior to his tenure with Skaggs in the 1980s, Mills was a member of Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver for five years. He has appeared on numerous albums in addition to his three solo albums. Six times, more than any other musician, he has been named the IBMA banjo performer of the year (1999, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2005, 2006). Additionally, his album Bound to Ride was named the IBMA Instrumental Album of the Year.
Mills is the recipient of six Grammy Awards. Mills amassed a number of pre-war Gibson Mastertone banjos, one of which was the renowned “Mack Crow” banjo, which was the sole gold-plated RB-75 ever manufactured at Gibson’s factory. in addition to the RB-4, which the late Snuffy Jenkins once possessed. In homage to the Mack Crow, Jim Mills designed a signature model for Huber Banjos. In 2009, Mills published Gibson Mastertones: Flathead 5-String Banjos of the 1930s and 1940s, a monograph on pre-war Gibson banjos.