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He's one of the heppest cats in bluegrass. He has the best hair, the classiest suits, and the grin to go with the pick. He makes it all look as simple and natural as a kid going down the first slippery slide of summer.

“Music is really easy for me. I grew up on a farm, and hard work is just something I'm used to. People ask, 'Now, where you gonna be tomorrow?' And the place might be 500 miles from where we're standing right then. They'll say, 'Oh, man, don't you ever get tired of that?' And I say, 'Well, it's the easiest job I've ever had!'”

On the morning of our conversation, Del McCoury has been hard at work, mowing the four-acre lawn of his new home in Hendersonville, Tennessee. He's preparing to leave for two months on the Down From The Mountain tour, and that's a long time to be away from the lawn. “I guess my hobbies are whatever has to be done. Mowing, and fixing the mower, and changing the oil in the car and the truck. I do all that. I grew up on a farm, and we learned to do all that when we were kids. I used to maintain my bus, but I have a guy do that nowadays. That's quite a job! I've got a good mechanic. I know he's good, because I used to do that stuff!” he laughs.

The new place is bigger, and Del's happy about that. “I like the location, too; it's quiet. We were kind of on a main road where we lived in Millersville. A lot of times, people would stop. I had a long driveway, but still people would come. There were a lot of people… I don't want to put up a gate. This is more private.” Del's son and banjo player Robbie lives in a neighboring town with his wife, Lisa, who is expecting her first child just in time for Christmas! Son Ronnie, who plays mandolin with Del, has just moved into a home about seven miles away with his wife, Allison, and children Evan and Joshua. Fiddler Jason Carter and bassist Mike Bub also live nearby with their families.

Del shares his own new home with his wife, Jean, daughter Rhonda, who works for Billboard, and her son Jacob, age eight. “Jean and I got married February 9, 1964. That's a long time to be with one woman, isn't it?” he teases. Mrs. McCoury travels with her husband and sons, handling band merchandise and probably a million other things. “She sells all our products, and that's a big job! I don't know how she does it. She has one whole compartment in the bus where she keeps inventory, and she knows just what she's got!”

Jean also helps with the process of keeping Del dressed with his usual easy elegance. But she can't take all the credit. “My wife helps me with my clothes,” Del says. “She usually buys them. I usually know how to match 'em up. I know what works, and what will go with what. I can usually depend on myself to match my clothes up when I go somewhere!”

One of the things one you notice right away, if you talk to Del McCoury for any length of time, is that this man has an incredible knowledge of American roads. He's driven all over the country many times in his long career, and he knows the terrain as well as he knows the sweet spots on the neck of his old Martin.

Even after all those years and miles, Del says that life on the road is still fairly tolerable. “I kind of pace myself. And I've done it so long, I know how to be there, and to be in good shape when I get there. I don't have a bus driver but me and my two boys, and it don't hurt any of us, really, to run straight through overnight. We don't even have to stop if we don't want to - just go to the next place, wherever it is.”

There's enough variety in each new mile to keep things interesting. “When I worked in the woods, the most boring thing was to get up at the same time, every morning!” he grins. “With this, you never are awake at the same time. You might be running really tight to get to the next place, or you might have plenty of time. It's always different. And I've done it so much; I know how long each trip is gonna take.”

When he's at home for a while - something that's pretty rare these days - Del enjoys getting together with friends, most recently at Ronnie's annual Memorial Day party. Casual gatherings with the McCourys can be pretty thrilling. “Once in a while, Sonny Osborne will have a little get-together. He'll have Earl Scruggs come, and he'll invite us,” Del says. “We used to get together with Ricky [Skaggs] quite a bit; I record with his label, Ceili Records. But these days we're on the road all the time!”

Road trips in the next couple months will have an added bit of excitement. “Our next album is going to be live,” Del confides. “Probably two or three new songs, maybe an instrumental, and then I think what we're going to do are requests. We do request shows a lot, and we might just do [this album] from all different parts of the country, instead of from one certain place.”

He takes a moment to think about the release date, and responds with his customary cool. “Ooooh, we don't have much time - we've got a deadline, man! My manager said it's supposed to be voted on for the Grammies this year. That's pretty soon, isn't it?”

A Grammy would be fabulous, but it's going to take quite a bit to impress a guy who's had such a remarkable career. He shares some of his most memorable highlights. “Of course, I was thrilled to be playing with Bill Monroe. And the first time I played the Opry. The first time I went overseas. I went to Japan in '79. My music took me there!” Del says with awe, still amazed and delighted with the revelation. “They wanted me and my music in Japan.”

Then Del McCoury's cool voice fills with all the warm pride in a father's heart, and he reveals the ultimate joy of his long relationship with bluegrass music. “Really, the most thrilling thing is to have my boys in the band,” he says, “and for them to be as good as they are.”

Visit www.delmccouryband.com for more on Del and the Boys.

Del McCoury Reflects…

On the perils of the road: When I first started traveling, there was a Will Rogers Turnpike in Oklahoma, a Pennsylvania Turnpike in PA, the Sunshine Parkway in Florida… but there weren't any interstates. It was easier to see things. Say you wanted to stop at a restaurant. You drove right by it - there it was, you could see it! These days, you have to depend on signs. My advice: if you can't see it from the interstate, don't get off, 'cause it ain't there.

On the one Del McCoury CD he'd tell new fans to buy: The last one! I don't listen to 'em that much. When they first come out, I will, just to make sure everything is sounding good. And then I forget 'em.

On his dream band: The one I have! I probably had a [different] dream band years ago; I've played with so many people. But I could just not envision playing with anybody but these guys that I'm playing with. They're just all so good at what they do.

On the most important thing he's taught his children: That eventually they will have to stand in front of God, in judgment. They have to be accountable for what they do in this life. And I think it's made better kids out of them, you know?

On the perfect day: I tell ya, I like variety! Monotony's something I just can't stand. And every day is different. So I think a perfect day is every day that comes.