He and his brother Jim were born into a musical family. Their grandfather, Charles McReynolds, was a fiddler who led a string band from the 1890s to the 1930s, and recorded for RCA. Their father, Claude, also a fiddler, performed with his guitar- and banjo-playing brothers in their father's string band. Their mother, Savannah, played banjo and harmonica and sang ballads and gospel songs.