Help with bluegrass music...

Don't forget Doc Watson for amazing flat picking. Get "Down South" (Rykodisc) for sure. I now live in Texas and really miss my North Carolina mountain music. If you can stand the crowds you should go to Merle Fest in NC and see for yourself what you like.
Mentioned earlier, Steve Earle and the Del McCoury Band's "The Mountain" is really killer performance-wise, and well recorded. "Skip, Hop and Wobble" (Rounder I believe) by Jerry Douglas et all is amazing too. All acoustic. New Grass Revival is essential listening--with Sam Bush. You can enjoy the 70s version with Curtis Burch, or the slicker, 80s version with Bela Fleck, but it's all good. They have a remastered "greatest hits" that would be a good dip--2 CDs and pretty good SQ. Have fun--it's the real deal.

Get the video (on DVD) called "High and Lonesome". Excellent documentary about the beginnings of Bluegrass music. And the music...oh yeah!

My first exposure to Bluegrass was one Sunday night driving into the office (I was on call) and hearing a little girl with a band called Nickel Creek on the Prarie Home Companion radio show. I got on Amazon and purchased the LP that night. They have some fantastic recordings out including an SACD of the self named album. It is utterly fantastic.

I also love Alison Krauss + Union Station and Jerry Douglas.

If you like Bluegrass another genre to listen to is Hawaiian music as popularized several years ago by Iz. I know it sounds odd but lots of steel guitar and ukulele - great stuff.

Bill Monroe the God Father of Bluegrass,Del McCoury Band,Steve Earle With Del McCoury,Old and In The Way a personal favorite.

As mentioned above, the other thread re. bluegrass has some great suggestions. The Bear Family label has a very good selection of traditional bluegrass. A lot of the lp's that are and have been out of print, they have bought the rights to use the original masters and have arranged them in chronological order and re-issued in the form of cd box sets...not cheap though. I can confirm that the quality is as good as it gets for the dates they were recorded, I own quite a few. They also have a limited selection of vinyl.

Monroe (The father), Jimmy Martin (The King), Flatt and Scruggs, and The Stanley Bros. If you start with this group and research all of the people that have played in their bands and who have went on to form their own/other bands...you will need to find more shelf space.
Happy hunting, MD