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While back, I watched the Dixie Chicks Home DVD, and, of course, was greatly impressed with theirs talents.

I was also greatly impressed with backup members of the group.
Bryan Sutton on guitar, and
Adam Stiff(l?)ey on mando.

I received highly favorable kudos for Sutton and don't remember the responses for Stiffly.

I was curious where these two musicians rated in the current pantheon of players.

Well, if your judged by who allows them to keep company with them, Mr. Sutton appears to be at or near the pinnacle.
NEW CD-"Bryan Sutton, Not to Far From the Tree-a collection of guitar duets with heros and Friends.
Sutton brought primo recording equip. to he home or place of choice of the co-picker.
Here's a few of the pickers who perform duets with hem on CD:
Doc Watson
Russ Barenberg
Dan Crary
Tony Rice
Earl Scruggs
You get the picture.
BTW, the conversation, music and pickin' is HOT, COOKIN'.
He has also cut a solo Bluegrass CD, "Bryan Sutton Bluegrass Guitar"--COOKIN' COOKIN' COOKIN'.

Re:
Adam Stiffey- I assume that being included in this group says volumes but would someone tell more about him, and where he rates, in your opinion, with hot Mando players. I don't have any idea where he rates, but this guy cooks on a Mando like there is no tomorrow!
Thanks for the feedback and info.,

Both these guys are world class on their respective instruments...and have been for years.

Sutton is a well-respected, highly sought after studio musician, and has worked with well, just about everybody. He has a signature Bourgeois guitar.

Adam Steffey, is arguably one of the best mandolin players in the world, playing essentially any style. He too has a signature model mandolin, by Gibson.

Little known fact: Bryan Sutton can play a mandolin like nobody's business. He's not Steffey's level, of course, but he'd be considered top level by even the top level people - and he's one of the most polite, unassuming people you'd ever want to meet. Humble as a dishrag.

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Eagles may soar, but weasels don't get sucked into jet engines.

Thanks Bill,
Just what I was looking for. Man can these guys pick, or what?

Both are great players...a pleasure to listen to either of them.

I grew up in the Washington, DC area which has always had alot fo bluegrass fans.  I used to play in various groups in the area.  There was a guy that lived in Fairfax who worked for a cable TV company who would play bluegrass whenever he was not doing his day job.

One of the best mandolin players that I ever heard but could pick up any instrument and play it amazingly.... it wasnt long before he could quit the cable TV guy job and played full time... the player was Ricky Scaggs...

And as Paul Harvey would say (US radio columnist for the non US OLFers) ...and now you know the rest of the story

 

I can tell you a quick story about Bryan Sutton's personality:

He's from Asheville, NC, and grew up picking bluegrass with his Father, Jerry. There's a thing that runs through the summer called "Pickin' on the Green" in Asheville...one of those downtown festival type things on Saturday nights. A few pick up bands, a few decent bands that always draw a bit of a gathering, a couple hot dog vendors, kids running around, dogs barking, that sort of thing.

So me and a buddy go up there just to hang out (it's about an hour+ from me) and walk up on a not so great jam session - you know the kind - a typical bluegrass festival cluster of not-so-great players, where the "band" will consist of: one bass, 3 banjos, 1 fiddle player, 4 mandolins and 23 guitars...all playing rhythm, all playing entirely too lound, and all essentially off time.   And who is standing in the middle of this? Sutton. Just standing there, with this sort of pleasant look on his face, playing dead straight, no-frills rhythm - G, C and D - and making exaggerated chord changes so some of the newbies who don't know the chords can watch his hands. He didn't appear to feel compelled to stand out from the crowd, or show off...just helping some people out since there was no other band to get involved with at the time. So here these beginners are, learning chord changes from arguably one of the finest flatpicking guitar players in the world, and they haven't a clue of who he is...and he feels no inclination to tell them. That was pretty cool to me.

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Eagles may soar, but weasels don't get sucked into jet engines.