Jesse Lester McReynolds (born July 9, 1929) is an American bluegrass musician. He is best known for his innovative crosspicking and split-string styles of mandolin playing. He has been a member of the Grand Ole Opry since 1964 and is a multiple Grammy nominee and award winner. 　　Jesse McReynolds was born in Coeburn, Virginia. He and his brother Jim begin performing together in or around 1947. The first recording they made was a gospel album in 1951 as the "Virginia Trio" (Jesse McReynolds, Jim McReynolds, and Larry Roll). Following that first album, the McReynolds brothers started performing as "Jim and Jesse and the Virginia Boys" and were signed by Capitol Records. They recorded 20 songs for Capitol over three sessions in 1952, 1954, and 1955.During this time, Jesse also served in the US Army in Korea (one of the recording sessions took place while he was on leave). While serving in Korea, he and Charlie Louvin of the Louvin Brothers (who was also serving in Korea) formed a band called the "Dusty Roads Boys" and played regular concerts for other troops.After Jesse's return from Korea, Jim and Jesse continued to perform and release albums, on the Columbia Records label from 1960-1968, and then on their own label, Old Dominion, until Jim McReynolds's death from cancer in 2002. Since 2002, Jesse has continued to perform and record as a solo artist. 　　McReynolds plays between 60 and 70 shows each year. He regularly releases albums, both of bluegrass music and of other genres, playing both mandolin and fiddle. 　　In January 2017 he appeared on the CMT network show Nashville as a blind singer who inspires the character Rayna James (played by Connie Britton).