Matt Thompson

Matt Thompson, mandolin, fiddle and vocals, Monroe Crossing
After a chance encounter with a Bill Monroe record, a young Matt Thompson instantly fell in love with this incredible sound and proceeded to order Monroe record after Monroe record. Mandolin became his instrument of choice, and Bluegrass a huge part of his life.
Within two years his initial group, The Bluegrass Connection, won First Place at the 1982 Minnesota State Fair talent contest. Later bands included River Basin Bluegrass, Inside Track, and Big Skyota with Art Blackburn. In 1997, he co-founded True Blue and performed on Garrison Keillor’s A Prairie Home Companion and showcased at the International Bluegrass Music Association convention in Louisville, KY.
A superb singer, arranger and the band’s MC, Thompson also plays twin fiddle for Monroe Crossing. He received the Minnesota Bluegrass & Old-Time Music Association's Bluegrass Mandolin Player of the Year Award in 2000.