New Grass Revival emerged out of the popular Bluegrass Alliance with a goal of blending traditional bluegrass music with more contemporary styles and material. Although only Sam Bush remained from the original New Grass Revival lineup in 1984, the mid-80s marked the most commercially successful period of the group.

The group debuted in 1972 and released a string of popular albums in the 1970s and 1980s. They were giving a big industry push when Leon Russel used them as his backup band on several country flavored recordings and tours made between 1979 and 1981.

The band dissolved in 1989, and from there Bela Fleck emerged with his own Bela Fleck & The Flecktones, one of the most well received alternative country acts in the world.