Cole Quest was introduced to the music of his grandfather, Woody Guthrie, as a young boy by his mother, Nora Guthrie. It was only as an adult that he committed himself to music after he came across a bluegrass jam at a bar in Queens. Once he got serious about playing, he got immersed in New York's surprisingly fertile bluegrass scene and formed Cole Quest and the City Pickers with a group of very talented like-minded musicians.