The most awarded instrumentalist in International Bluegrass Music Association history was born and raised in San Francisco. This deep dive traces Rob Ickes from his 1992 move to Nashville through a 1994 rookie season in which he helped found Blue Highway and played on two Grammy-winning albums, including The Great Dobro Sessions produced by Jerry Douglas and Tut Taylor, where he was the youngest player featured. We explain why the Dobro's aluminum resonator cones and fretless slide technique make it an instrument that cannot be faked, and how pure technical merit got him past Nashville's gatekeepers.

We follow his 21 years anchoring Blue Highway, 39 IBMA awards including 15 wins as Resophonic Guitar Player of the Year, his 2010 USA Fellowship, and the side projects that kept his playing fresh: four solo albums on Rounder, the jamgrass trio  ...