Band Member Bios

About Ryegrass

Member Bios
Band History
What They Say

Jim Hanna, now living in Maple Valley, was born in Norton, Ohio. From his first live performance in the sixth grade, Jim has been playing guitar and singing various types of music most of his life, but having fallen on hard times musically he has now resorted to playing Bluegrass. Jim handles the lead vocal chores along with rhythm and lead guitar; in his spare time Jim works as an engineer and manages his horse farm.

Lynn Oliver, living these days outside of Redmond, was raised on a small farm near Rosewood Ohio. After playing guitar in rock and country bands during high school, Lynn slipped into a musical coma that lasted until he was awakened a few years ago by the undeniable urge to take up banjo. A recent refugee from the high-tech wars, Lynn serves as the sound man for the group and occasionally sings baritone.

Chip Diemond was raised up in the Tri-Cities area and now resides in Seattle. Unable to find an instrument big enough to contain his talent, Chip has graduated from ukulele to autoharp to guitar to piano and is now holding down bass for Ryegrass. Chip is also involved in amateur sports car racing as a Formula Ford driver and spends his spare moments as a remodeling contractor.

Josh Stiger grew up in Redmond and started on piano, then picked up the guitar shortly after high school, and purchased a mandolin just for something new. After messing around a bit and seeing Edgar Meyer, Bela Fleck and Mike Marshall play
together, he became inspired and got rid of his TV so he wouldn't be distracted from the mandolin. The newest member of Ryegrass, Josh is shown here at his previous gig playing for cows.

John Burke took up the banjo at the age of 15 and is well known for his work on both banjo and fiddle. John's extensive resume includes publishing Old Time Fiddle Tunes for Banjo in 1968; recording Old Fashioned Dance Music with The Yankee Carpetbaggers, also in 1968; playing fiddle with The Old Hat Band in Dr. Snootfull's Wonder Cure Medicine Show during the 1970's; and recording Concert: The Old Hat Band in about 1972. John also did vocals, fiddle, and banjo on Plain Singin' & Fancy Pickin' with The Old Hat Band in about 1976.