Forrest O’Connor

• Singer/Songwriter

Nashville-born singer-songwriter and guitarist Forrest O’Connor earned national recognition as one of the lead vocalists and instrumentalists in the O’Connor Band, a group he co-founded with his wife, Kate Lee O’Connor, and his father, seven-time CMA Award-winning violinist Mark O’Connor. Forrest wrote several songs, including the title track, for the O’Connor Band’s debut album Coming Home, which debuted at #1 on Billboard’s Top Bluegrass Albums Chart and won a GRAMMY Award in 2017.

Both independently and as part of the O’Connor Band, Forrest has performed and/or recorded with Paul Simon, Zac Brown, Judah & The Lion, Kenny Loggins, Clint Black, Emmylou Harris, Suzy Bogguss, Bela Fleck, Jerry Douglas, Dan Tyminski, and many others. He has played several times at The Grand Ole Opry as well as at other notable venues and festivals around the country, including Fenway Park, the 57th Annual GRAMMY Awards Ceremony, the Strathmore Center for the Arts, RockyGrass Festival, DelFest, and Grey Fox. He also appeared in the final episode of the fourth season of ABC’s hit series Nashville, performing behind Chris Carmack’s character, Will Lexington.

Prior to the O’Connor Band, Forrest toured nationally as a duo with Kate (sometimes along with his college buddy, singer-songwriter Jim Shirey) and frequently performed as a sideman at The Station Inn in Nashville. In 2014, he won the Tennessee State Mandolin Championship.