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Thread: Famous people who play(ed) mandolin

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    Innocent Bystander JeffD's Avatar
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    On another thread we saw Orville Wright's mandolin! Someone said that Patrick Henry played mandolin - I think I had heard that as well.

    Anyone else?

    I just found out Warren Buffett plays ukulele. Think how far he could go if he played mandolin.
    A talent for trivializin' the momentous and complicatin' the obvious.

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    String-Bending Heretic mandocrucian's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by
    Mussolini was a big fan of mandolin music and Calace built several for the dictator. After World War II, Calace and mandolin music fell out of favor in Italy.

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    Registered User John Flynn's Avatar
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    There was a thread some time ago reporting that Michael Johnstone, an actor in the HBO series "Deadwood," owned a Rigel Q-95 and was supposedly an avid player.

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    Moderator JEStanek's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by (mandocrucian @ May 07 2007, 13:24)
    Quote Originally Posted by
    Mussolini was a big fan of mandolin music and Calace built several for the dictator. After World War II, Calace and mandolin music fell out of favor in Italy.
    Didn't Mussolini fall out of favor after the war too?

    Jamie
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    M@ñdº|¡ñ - M@ñdºce||º Keith Erickson's Avatar
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    I can assure you that neither of these folks played the mandolin but still pretty interesting.

    Elizabeth Garrett was a famous opera singer who was blind. #She also wrote the state song for New Mexico. #Elizabeth was the daughter Lincoln County, New Mexico sherriff Pat Garrett who shot and killed Billy the Kid.

    Billy himself was also musically inclined and sang while attending school up in Silver City, New Mexico.

    Sorry for the lack of mandolin content.



    Keith Erickson
    Benevolent Organizer of The Mandocello Enthusiast

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    Registered User Chip Booth's Avatar
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    I believe Tom Hanks had a Gilchrist on order a few years ago. #Never heard if he recieved it.

    This looks like a good opportunity for someone to post a link to the Milla Jovovich picture agin

    Chip




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    [I]Didn't Mussolini fall out of favor after the war too?

    An old WW II vet once showed me a photo he had taken of Mussolini. If bullet holes are a sign of disfavor, then YES. Fortunately no mandolins were present at the time.

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    Moderator JEStanek's Avatar
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    Re: Tom Hanks... I don't know about the Gil but didn't the luthier who made all those cool instruments in "The Ladykillers" (Danny Farrington) build Tom a mandolin? IIRC that was mentioned in the extra features on the DVD.

    I also heard a story about Jamie Lee Curtis buying husband Christopher Guest a mandolin as well.

    Jamie
    There are two things to aim at in life: first, to get what you want; and, after that, to enjoy it. Only the wisest of mankind achieve the second. Logan Pearsall Smith, 1865 - 1946

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    Registered User bradeinhorn's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by (JEStanek @ May 07 2007, 20:17)
    I also heard a story about Jamie Lee Curtis buying husband Christopher Guest a mandolin as well.

    Jamie
    makes sense - they all learned how to play their instruments in mighty wind - parker posey had a pretty nice chop on an old, a-4 i believe. barry mitterhoff was the resident instructor.
    www.bigdrawbluegrass.com

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    Bayard GBOM

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    Registered User John Flynn's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by
    I also heard a story about Jamie Lee Curtis buying husband Christopher Guest a mandolin as well.
    Although Christopher Guest has been a professional mando player. According to an interview with Guest in USA Today, he played mandolin backing both Arlo Guthrie and Loudon Wainwright in the 60's. Then of course there was his mando work with a Collings MT2 in "A Mighty Wind."




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    Innocent Bystander JeffD's Avatar
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    This from a presidential pastimes website:

    Surprisingly, few of our Presidents have had much musical ability or experience. Thomas Jefferson and John Tyler played the violin, and Harry Truman and Richard Nixon played the piano. In fact, Harry Truman once joked that if he had not gone into politics, he would have probably become the “piano player at a bawdy house.” Calvin Coolidge played the harmonica, Warren Harding played the alto horn and cornet, and Bill Clinton played the saxophone.

    So, no mandolins. Well imagine how far Jefferson could have gone if he had played the mandolin.
    A talent for trivializin' the momentous and complicatin' the obvious.

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    You know I remember seeing a cittern at Monticello when I toured it years ago. According to this: http://explorer.monticello.org/text/...p?id=50&type=4 it was probably played by Martha Jefferson, but being musical I'm sure Thomas must have picked it up now and then.
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    Pope Benedict XV (1854-1922) was a mandolin player.
    Larry

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    Registered User Neil Gladd's Avatar
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    According to Bickford, Calvin Coolidge's son played the mandolin-banjo. I was once told that Larry Hagman (J.R. / Major Nelson) played the mandolin, but I have no reference for it.

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    Comedian Joey Bishop used to play occasionally on his talk show. In fact Homer & Jethro were frequent guests. Bishop played an F style Goya. On one show Jethro presented Bishop with a new Gibson F-5, a gift from Gibson. I believe this was in the 1970s.

    Ken

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    Registered User Neil Gladd's Avatar
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    Fibber McGee, of the old radio show "Fibber McGee and Molly" played the mandolin.

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    Innocent Bystander JeffD's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by (Larry R @ May 07 2007, 21:48)
    Pope Benedict XV (1854-1922) was a mandolin player.
    Way cool!
    A talent for trivializin' the momentous and complicatin' the obvious.

    The entire staff
    funny....

  18. #18
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    Jack out of the White Stripes plays a bit I believe.
    DD

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    Jack Benny, fiddle.

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    Registered User Martin Jonas's Avatar
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    Queen Margherita of Italy famously played the mandolin, and her royal patronage was a fairly important factor in the mandolin boom of the 1890s. #There is a Vinaccia mandolin built for her in the Victoria & Albert Museum in London. #

    Incidentally, and quite unrelatedly, Queen Margherita also gave her name to the pizza of that name, created in her honour in 1889 by Raffaele Esposito in Naples. #Intriguingly, here is a bowlback made by one "Raffaele Esposito" in Naples. #I've seen one of these before, but I've never figured out whether this was the pizza baker moonlighting as luthier (or the other way around for that matter).

    Martin




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    Quote Originally Posted by (ngladd @ May 07 2007, 20:55)
    Fibber McGee, of the old radio show "Fibber McGee and Molly" played the mandolin.
    I was listening to Fibber McGee and Molly the other day (I have a very old radio in my car) and Fibber commented that he got a free mandolin with a pin-striped suit he bought. Had a choice between that an a baseball bat. Mollie suggested he would have gotten more hits with the bat. That was a show from about February of '43.
    The Old Sarge

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    Innocent Bystander JeffD's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by (The Old Sarge @ May 08 2007, 08:09)
    #Mollie suggested he would have gotten more hits with the bat. #


    Hard to argue with that.
    A talent for trivializin' the momentous and complicatin' the obvious.

    The entire staff
    funny....

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    Registered User Tom C's Avatar
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    At one time a Gibson teens mando was for sale at a Guitar Center in White Plains NY and I believe the person who reported it said it was owned by the guy who acted with Matthew Broderick in Ferris Buhler.



    Here is the Deadwood Link






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    Paul Gauguin played mandolin.

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    Full Grown and Cussin' brunello97's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by (martinjonas @ May 08 2007, 07:32)
    Incidentally, and quite unrelatedly, Queen Margherita also gave her name to the pizza of that name, created in her honour in 1889 by Raffaele Esposito in Naples. #Intriguingly, here is a bowlback made by one "Raffaele Esposito" in Naples. #I've seen one of these before, but I've never figured out whether this was the pizza baker moonlighting as luthier (or the other way around for that matter).

    Martin
    Extraordinary information, Martin. #Where is Carl Jung when you need him?

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