Dry Branch Fire Squad’s Ron Thomason to Retire
- Grey Fox Bluegrass Festival to mark final shows
Ron Thomason is retiring.
The Dry Branch Fire Squad co-founder and only remaining original member of the bluegrass group plans to hang up his mandolin (and guitar (and banjo)) after final performances at Grey Fox Bluegrass Festival, where DBFS serves as host.
“I’m so grateful to have shared this journey together,” Grey Fox founder Mary Tyler Daub told Bluegrass Today, which reported the news of the 81-year-old Thomason’s decision without specifying whether the band, also a regular at Hardly Strictly Bluegrass and other annual events, will continue.
Thomason (left) with DBFS, at Hardly Strictly Bluegrass, 2025. Photo by Sound Bites
As festival host, Dry Branch Fire Squad is scheduled to play multiple sets during the July 15-19 gathering in New York.
“Very few people become part of a festival’s identity - Ron Thomason is one of them,” Tyler Daub said.
“For decades, his music, wit and friendship have helped define Grey Fox.”
7/16/26
