The Original Bluegrass Parkway Band
2026 Sees the 40th Anniversary Bluegrass Parkway.
What started out as a group of friends jamming in a shared rental house in 1986 has evolved into Australia’s longest continually performing bluegrass band. Bluegrass Parkway played its first public performance at the Fly By Night Club in January 1987 and has never looked back.
The band’s original members were made up of two Australians, Paul Duff and Ross Coole along with two friends from Lexington Kentucky, Maria Duff and Ted Critchfield. Paul, Maria and Ted had played in a bluegrass band in Lexington prior to Maria and Paul coming to Australia. Paul is a native of Perth and met Maria in Lexington. They fell in love and Maria returned with Paul to start their new life together in Australia. Shortly afterwards Ted came to visit and the jamming naturally began.
The sound engineer for that very first performance was Mick O’Neill. He soon became a close friend and regularly got up on stage to take over guitar or banjo duties while Ted and Ross changed instruments for particular songs. A few months later when Ross left the band Mick became a full-time member and has been Bluegrass Parkway’s banjo player ever since. From that moment on the band has had at its core, people who harbour a deep love and respect for bluegrass music and a passion to present it in a truly authentic fashion.
In 1994 the band took their love and respect for the genre to a new level by performing around a single mic in traditional attire for the first time. They have continued this homage to the founding fathers of bluegrass music ever since.
Bluegrass Parkway 2026
Over the forty years, Bluegrass Parkway has had 17 different band members and each has contributed their own individual flavour to its sound and stage dynamic. This line up of alumni has been able to maintain the highest level of talent which has allowed the band to evolve into what you see today. From its first interstate tour to the Harrietville Bluegrass Festival in 1996, the band has gone on to complete three tours of the US and another three tours in New Zealand along with more performances all around Australia than they can remember.
Bluegrass Parkway were featured in Bluegrass Today in 2025 in an article written by Lee Zimmerman.
Bluegrass Parkway has recorded 7 albums and is currently planning its 8th. These are available online through Bandcamp.com.
Bluegrass Parkway will be celebrating this 40th anniversary with a very special concert on October 24th at the Fremantle Park Sports and Community Centre in Fremantle. The concert will see a gathering of former band members, a few of whom will be joining us on stage to play a tune or two from their time in the band.
Tickets for the 40th anniversary concert are available through TryBooking here. This special anniversary concert is a rare chance to experience bluegrass as it was meant to be played: live, lively and up close.
The band has recorded a number of albums over its 40 year history and many still available through their website:.
The following is a list of Bluegrass Parkway albums and their release date:
| Album Title
Not Before Time |
Year Released 1997 |
Today, Bluegrass Parkway remains faithful to the 1940s by playing to a single microphone and incorporating strong three and four part harmonies. Whether it be the traditional sounds of Monroe and the Stanley Brothers or material closer to the ‘cutting edge’, Bluegrass Parkway will thrill you with great picking, strong harmonies and fancy footwork.
Bluegrass Parkway are without doubt Australia’s most recognised bluegrass ensemble, and are truly Australia’s favourite Bluegrass Band.
