Chester McMillian is a traditional old-time musician rooted in the Round Peak style of Surry County, North Carolina. Raised in a musical family, he has been immersed in the Round Peak music community since childhood and is known for a distinctive guitar style developed through decades of collaboration with legendary musicians such as Tommy Jarrell and Dix Freeman.
McMillian performed, toured and recorded extensively with Jarrell and played with him in multiple documentary films by Les Blanks. A founding member of the band Backstep, he continues to perform with his son, Nick McMillian. He is also a dedicated educator, teaching guitar, fiddle, banjo and mandolin to children in Surry County.