Mandolin Hero

[Frankdolin]

Of all the people I've met in my life I've yet to meet anyone I'd consider a "hero", but Jethro was my earliest and most influential mandolin master.

[Rush Burkhardt]

Wow! Pick one! I was fortunate enough to join the mandolin parade in the 60's, in the BA-DC-York,PA-N.VA corridor, where live bluegrass was always available.
Influences:
1. Choice - I had the choice of playing the bass or the mandolin. A guitar player, my choice was given me when my two musical friends and I decided to form a band. One sang lead and played guitar; the other sang tenor and played the banjo; I sang monotone and played _________. Which would you pick? upright bass or mandolin?
2. Exposure - (friends and local-ish mandolin players) Dick Staber, Sonny Chriswell, Dick Laird, Carroll Swam (not really a mandolin player; influenced every note I play)
3. Style preference - John Duffey [and HERO]. Although not by modern standards a mando-wiz, to me he epitomized the play-to-fit-the-tune, not to wow-and-amaze. Because of my limited capabilities and ambitions, I attempted (subconsciously) to emulate John and play a melody and mood that fit the song. To this day I can feel the emotion he put into even the simplest break!
4. Modern choices would include Ronnie McCoury, Frank Wakefield [did I say modern], Mike Compton

[billkilpatrick]

Wow! Pick one! I was fortunate enough to join the mandolin parade in the 60's, in the BA-DC-York,PA-N.VA corridor, where live bluegrass was always available.
Influences:
1. Choice - I had the choice of playing the bass or the mandolin. A guitar player, my choice was given me when my two musical friends and I decided to form a band. One sang lead and played guitar; the other sang tenor and played the banjo; I sang monotone and played _________. Which would you pick? upright bass or mandolin?
2. Exposure - (friends and local-ish mandolin players) Dick Staber, Sonny Chriswell, Dick Laird, Carroll Swam (not really a mandolin player; influenced every note I play)
3. Style preference - John Duffey [and HERO]. Although not by modern standards a mando-wiz, to me he epitomized the play-to-fit-the-tune, not to wow-and-amaze. Because of my limited capabilities and ambitions, I attempted (subconsciously) to emulate John and play a melody and mood that fit the song. To this day I can feel the emotion he put into even the simplest break!
4. Modern choices would include Ronnie McCoury, Frank Wakefield [did I say modern], Mike Compton

Very nice … "play to fit the tune" is where it's at:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TBALkIWaWnU

[soliver]

Thile is kind of a given so I kinda don't think of him when I think "hero" for some reason... I've really been impressed by Reischman lately, but I have always enjoyed Mike Marshall... I enjoy his stuff on Peghead Nation for sure

[Jess L.]

I thought the thread "Mandolin Hero" was going to be about a rare ^[1] PlayStation Mandolin Hero game:


(click pic to make bigger)

(Mandocello-thingie and anti-gravity banjo notwithstanding...)






____________
Footnote:

1. It's extremely rare, in fact so much so that it doesn't even really exist. It's just my quickie sloppy Photoshop mod, and yeah I didn't take time to make it look 'real' and I didn't get the fonts right either, oh well. If anyone wants to improve on it, that'd be cool, put it on a t-shirt or something lol.

The original looked like this:

[LadysSolo]

I don't know that I would call them my "heroes" but who do I most want to play like? Chris Thile and Sarah Jarosz.

[Ivan Kelsall]

Having learned to play ''Rebecca'' on banjo many years back,i had a look at the credits on the CD, & the tune was composed by a guy i'd never heard of (mandolin playing was a long way off back then) - Herschel Sizemore. I did a bit of searching & found out exactly 'who' Herschel Sizemore was. When i came to mandolin,''Rebecca'' was a 'must play' tune. Other mandolin players also influenced me. I bought almost every CD by John Reischman / Sam Bush, & almost all my favourite Bluegrass bands had a mandolin player with them.

These days,it's not so much the 'players' - it's the music. If i like the music,i don't care who's playing it. I only had one CD by Butch Baldassari ,the ''Appalacian Mandolin & Dulcimer'' CD that he recorded with David Schnaufer.

Some months back,i began having a look at BB's recordings & i found a wide spectrum of music that he recorded,from Classical music through to what i'd term 'New Acoustic Music', & all of it terrific !!.
I know that BB was highly regarded,& i now know exactly why. IMHO,he's up alongside John Reischman & every top player you can think of,
Ivan

[billkilpatrick]

… IMHO,he's up alongside John Reischman & every top player you can think of,Ivan

Agreed. Good point about the music being the essential element and not the player. I always thought this was bent:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wsQtndswJbc

[Jim Garber]

Of all the people I've met in my life I've yet to meet anyone I'd consider a "hero", but Jethro was my earliest and most influential mandolin master.

Jethro was definitely a hero. As soon as I heard that he was teaching for a week at Augusta in (I think) 1983 I signed up. It was the only time he did it. I also was at Ashokan about three times when Tiny Moore was on staff.

[Spencer]

My main hero/inspiration was Nate Bray for those who know of him. I recently digitized a bunch of our band's old cassette practices from 25 years ago. You would never mistake my playing for his, but I could hear where a lot of my ideas came from. There was a bigger influence than I thought.

Spencer

[billkilpatrick]

My main hero/inspiration was Nate Bray for those who know of him. I recently digitized a bunch of our band's old cassette practices from 25 years ago. You would never mistake my playing for his, but I could hear where a lot of my ideas came from. There was a bigger influence than I thought. Spencer

Very nice:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kniZOC_RzXM

[Kevin Winn]

Not exactly a 'hero,' but certainly my inspiration to pick up the mandolin a year ago was Andrew Marlin of Mandolin Orange.

[zedmando]

Every one here who has given me good advice since I started learning mandolin is my mandolin hero.

[Ivan Kelsall]

''The'' tune that really flicked my mando-appreciation switch going back to 1964,was the song ''I Cried Again'' played by 'The Greenbriar Boys' on their second LP - ''Ragged But Right''. Ralph Rinzler's opening on mandolin,is still one of the finest i've heard to this date. He almost 'out-Monroe's' Bill Monroe !!. RR was & still is one of the very finest Monroe 'style' mandolin players IMHO,
Ivan
Here's the whole LP - well worth a listen :-

[Willie Poole]

I was inspired by Monroe and Buzz Busby but the one mandolin player that I call my hero is Dempsey Young...Great innovator and still carried the melody in every song...Too bad that I can`t get anywhere close to playing like him, not many people can....Of course a close second would have to be my friend John Duffey...Both of them will be missed for a long time....

Willie

[leftus maximus]

JPJ was probably the first guy who brought the mandolin to my attention with Battle of Evermore. Then when I got into old time and bluegrass Norman Blake and Sam Bush came into the equation, along with Tim O'Brien.

The ultimate for me has to be Thile. He is completely joined to his instrument, and as much as he pulls funny faces I could watch him playing all day. He makes me laugh! Also watching his duets with Mike Marshall are a joy.

[Demetrius]

Id have to say my first experience really noticing mandolin in a band setting was Gene Johnson of Diamond Rio. I imediately went out afterwords and bought a Washburn a style at the local music store. I live in a place where everyone thinks a mandolin is a ukulele, and I've even been asked if it was a bongo, so I didn't have much of a chance of knowing about it at a really young age. Then I started listening to Adams Steffey on the Alison Krauss record "so long so wrong"
Around that time I caught a glimpse of Nicklecreek and that really change it for me, I was really obsessed by then. However what really took it to a new level was when I moved to Nashville in 1998 and I would spend hours at the Gibson factory watching these being built.
And I would hear these incredible players come in and play, half of them I didn't know who they were but man they were all heroes. Everyone of them inspired me deeply.

[AlanN]

Dick Staber, ....., Dick Laird,

Good post, I just grabbed 2 refs which caught my eye:

Dick Staber - His Pickin' Round The Cookstove LP was an early thrill for me, kind of mixed the old with the new.

Dick Laird - I caught him in a band with Jerry McCoury (brother to Del) at Wind Gap one year. Impressed me to no end.

[ralph johansson]

In the summer of 1969 I spent two months in the US. I was lucky to hear John Duffey sub for his successor in the Country Gentlemen (Jimmy Gaudreau on two nights somewhere in the MD suburbs of DC. That was the high point of my journey as his was the attitude to the mandolin that I dug most in my BG days. One example on record would be his solo on Blue Ridge Mt. Home on his last album with the Gentlemen. Another, perhaps, his solo on Girl Behind the Bar, ending on a c in D major! - who else would have done that in those days? (According to Pete Kuykendall he got the idea from Don Rich.)

Today I hardly ever listen to Bluegrass. And most of the music I dig is about groups, projects and concepts. The mando players I happen to dig therefore are leaders, conceivers, composers, arrangers: Thile (although I lost him when he started singing), Flinner, Grisman, Marshall, Hamilton de Holanda). Mike Marshall is the only one of these cats that I've met and heard live (with Anger, Väsen and de Holanda) and his Tasting the Wine Country is one of the true cornerstones of New Acoustic Music (hey, is there anything happening in that movement today?). Among players closer to grass I would single out Marty Stuart. But I never really learned much from mando players. And my main instrument still is the guitar.

[Chuck Leyda]

That would be Peter Ostrouschko for me. His hero-ship was secured when I was still a new player, when I first heard this cut and this CD.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JZwNjQUYD6I

Of course Peter has a very successful career but I think he should get more attention. An incredibly versatile musician and (the few times I've met him) a very nice guy.

[Dagger Gordon]

I think Grisman has done more for the mandolin than anybody (except maybe Scott Tichenor?)

His own exemplary playing in a range of styles has spanned several decades, and he still seems to be as good as ever.

But not only that, he hasn't been afraid to showcase and record other great players on his Acoustic Disc label, including the aforementioned Jethro.

Wonderful tone, effortless swing, good jazzy soloist, connoisseur of great instruments, a great bandleader, etc etc.

Outstanding.

[Chris Browne]

I don't know if it's the instrument or the genre, but I'm a 50 yr old white dude and my mando heroes mostly young women...Sharon Gilchrist, Sierra Hull, Sarah Jarosz...add Thile, Steffey, and Reishman and I'm done!

[MontanaMatt]

I have a new mando hero. Well, two...check out Danny Knicely and Jack Dunlap, Chop, Shred, and Split. It blows my mind further every time I listen, and I listen to it often!
It has an energy and complexity that sets it apart for most everyone on all our favorites lists...
I look forward to hearing your opinion
Enjoy

[MontanaMatt]

Here in Helena, Montana we don't get to see many big time players, but my inspiration is John Reischman. He and the Jay Birds played here about 10 years ago and since I was photographer for the Independent Record, I told my editor I needed to get some photos of them at rehearsal. The whole band was great to work with, especially John. I had brought my Weber Cedar topped Gallatin with me hoping to get John to sign the case, he did. He also let me play his Loar after he played mine. I love his style of playing and hope one day I might get maybe 1% of his tone. I will also give a big shout out to my friend Bruce Weber, who started me on this crazy journey,

George, I just sent you a P M regarding upcoming Reischman show in Bozeman.
Any others in our area should PM me for more info and invite