 Though he released only a few recordings as a solo artist, he played as a session musician on numerous records, including the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band's 1972 album "Will the Circle be Unbroken".Beecher Ray Kirby was born in rural Sevier County, Tennessee in the Great Smoky Mountains.His father, G. W. Kirby, was an Appalachian folk musician who played fiddle and banjo.