Johnny Bellar

Biography

Johnny Bellar is an American resophonic and lap steel guitar virtuoso from Springfield, Tennessee, known for his fluent, melodic approach to traditional country, bluegrass, gospel, and western swing. Born and raised in Springfield, he grew up immersed in country music and first became involved in the scene by tuning instruments for a local band, the Cumberland Valley Boys, during his teens.[3] Within a year of graduating from high school in 1973 he was already performing full-time as a professional musician, quickly building a reputation in the Nashville area for his command of resonator (Dobro-style) and steel guitar.[1][3]

Over the ensuing decades Bellar toured and recorded extensively as both a band member and session player, contributing to a wide range of country and bluegrass projects while also developing his own instrumental repertoire.[1][4] His playing blends the drive and clarity of bluegrass Dobro with the smooth phrasing of western swing and classic country steel, marked by clean intonation, inventive fills, and lyrical solos.[1][3] In addition to live performance and studio work, he has been active as a teacher and tradition-bearer: in 2021 he served as a master artist in the Tennessee Arts Commission’s Traditional Arts Apprenticeship Program, mentoring a younger resonator guitarist in the stylistic nuances and repertoire of the instrument.[3] Bellar’s long career and recognized virtuosity on resophonic and lap steel guitar led to his being honored in 2018 by ResoGat, a gathering dedicated to resophonic guitar players and builders, underscoring his standing in the resonator guitar community.[1]

Bellar’s legacy centers on his role in sustaining and advancing traditional resonator guitar styles in Middle Tennessee and beyond, bridging classic country and bluegrass with contemporary performance contexts.[1][3] Performances such as his 2019 Musicians Spotlight program at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in Nashville have highlighted both his technical command and his commitment to sharing the history and possibilities of the instrument with broader audiences.[2] Through his work as a performer, studio musician, and mentor, he has helped keep the sound of the resophonic guitar prominent within regional country and bluegrass traditions.[1][2][3]

Fun Facts

• Bellar’s first job in music was not as a performer but as an instrument tuner for the Cumberland Valley Boys, a local band in his hometown of Springfield, Tennessee.[3]
• Within just a year of his 1973 high‑school graduation, Bellar had already become a full‑time professional musician on resophonic and lap steel guitar.[1]
• He was honored in 2018 by ResoGat, a gathering devoted to resophonic guitars, in recognition of his status as a virtuoso on the instrument.[1]
• In April 2019, the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum featured Bellar in a Musicians Spotlight program at the Ford Theater, underscoring his recognition within the country music community.[2]

Musical Connections

Mentors/Influences

• Traditional country and bluegrass musicians of Middle Tennessee - Bellar grew up surrounded by traditional country music in Springfield, Tennessee, absorbing the regional country and bluegrass styles that shaped his approach to resonator and lap steel guitar.[3] (Traditional country and bluegrass repertoire performed locally in Springfield and with the Cumberland Valley Boys) [1960s–early 1970s]

Key Collaborators

• Cumberland Valley Boys - Local band for whom Bellar first tuned instruments as a teenager; this early association introduced him to professional country performance settings and led toward his own full‑time career.[3] (Local and regional performances in and around Springfield, Tennessee) [Late 1960s–early 1970s]
• Various Nashville studio and touring artists - Bellar has worked as a professional resophonic and lap steel guitarist, contributing to multiple country and bluegrass recording and performance projects documented in his discography.[1][4] (Albums and tracks listed under his artist credits on AllMusic, including instrumental resonator guitar projects) [Mid‑1970s–present]

Artists Influenced

• David Gipson - Bellar’s apprentice in the Tennessee Arts Commission Traditional Arts Apprenticeship Program, where Bellar transmitted resonator guitar techniques, repertoire, and stylistic knowledge.[3] (Apprenticeship project focused on resonator guitar, documented by the Tennessee Arts Commission Folklife Program) [2021]

External Links

• Spotify