Brian English was exposed to bluegrass at an early age, growing up in the NC Piedmont and listening to the Pine Cone Bluegrass Show on the radio every Sunday night for as long as he could remember. As a child, Brian studied classical violin and went on to play in orchestras and ensembles through high school and college but it wasn’t until he got out of school and away from the sheet music that he began learning to play the music that he had grown up listening to. Brian kept digging further back to the roots of popular American music and inevitably the bluegrass bug bit him. He was a member of the Raleigh area bluegrass/acoustic cover band Old Habits for five years, he's gigged and contributed on many Raleigh area bluegrass projects. Brian plays with The Hey Brothers and brings his spot-on, bluegrass fiddling to the Rye Mountain Boys.

Hugh Moore has been focused on the banjo and bluegrass music almost since he was born. As a youngster he was an obsessive-compulsive musician and once was nearly arrested for playing the banjo while driving on the Interstate. Hugh's driving melodic banjo style has been featured on recordings of bluegrass pioneers including Kenny Baker, Bobby Osborne, Benny Martin, Vassar Clements and Josh Graves. He's been featured on The Grand Ole Opry and has performed on the Ernest Tubb Record Shop radio program. Hugh has produced recordings featuring Earl Scruggs, Buck Owens, Marty Stewart, Porter Wagoner, Vince Gill and Alison Krauss. As a Rye Mountain Boy, he drives the banjo and sings baritone, tenor and occasional lead vocals. Hugh’s banjo playing and vocal styling contribute to a sound patterned after the classic music of early bluegrass.

Cliff Hale, born in West "By Gawd" Virginia where he spent most of his youth in the beautiful Shenandoah Valley, has been moved by roots music since he was a kid thanks to a sharing father who had a deep appreciation for the same and a great music collection! From a singing family, Cliff was coaxed to join in with the family quartet as a child and has been singing ever since. He first waded into the bluegrass scene as a performer while in graduate school at West Virginia University where he had the good fortune to play in a band of experienced and talented musicians who shared a passion and respect for traditional bluegrass. Cliff brings his love for traditional bluegrass, strong, soulful lead vocals and straight up rhythm guitar to the Rye Mountain Boys.

Zack Mondry, a native Minnesotan, grew up in an old house filled with sounds emanating from country and blues LP’s. Zack decided he had to play bluegrass music after hearing some Johnson Mountain Boys records one day nearly 20 years ago while at college on the west coast. His love of bluegrass music eventually brought him to North Carolina where he has played extensively providing fundamental bass in bluegrass, old-time, and honky tonk settings. Zack has performed with the Apple Chill Cloggers in Italy and in the musical production Always Patsy Cline in Virginia. A warm yet driving bluegrass player, Zack is known for his great timing, tone, and clarity and completes the traditional sound on the Rye Mountain Boys.

Jim Collier was originally drawn to bluegrass as a child glued to the TV watching the Foggy Mountain Boys on the Martha White Show but did not start to play music until his high school days in Raleigh, N.C. He was influenced early on by the Stanley Brothers, Bill Monroe and the New Deal String Band. Jim spent many weekends at old time fiddler conventions and bluegrass festivals throughout the south during the 60’s and 70’s, and has been a presence in the old time music scene for the last thirty years. Much of his time has been spent as an old time fiddler, now Jim can often be seen playing a mandolin. With Big Medicine, Jim performed on Garrison Keillor's "A Prairie Home Companion". He has spent most of the last ten years renewing his love for classic, bluegrass music, studying mandolin, singing and can now live his dream of playing classic bluegrass with the Rye Mountain Boys.