James Mummey was born and raised in Lakeland, FL. After studying piano and guitar privately from age 7 to 10, he picked up the trumpet in middle school. Never once did he even think or know what a mandolin was. That all changed on a Friday night in July 2003. David “Dawg” Grisman stepped out onto the Rockygrass stage. With long curly grey hair and a big, flowing Hawaiian shirt on. He was clashing dramatically with The Del McCoury Band which he was “sitting in” with. Back and forth, Dawg and Ronnie McCoury went with dueling mandolins, smoking hot harmonies, and melodies echoing off the canyon walls that night in Lyons, Colorado. The rest, as they say, is history.
James still resides in beautiful Lakeland, FL though he can hang his hat almost anywhere. He raises his two beautiful children, works in the HVAC field by day and plays mandolin and guitar at night. You can catch James (or Mummey as some choose to call him) playing with at local venues throughout the Central Florida area. Catch him at the next Birthday Saps show!