Mandolin Hero

[billkilpatrick]

When I was 15 I had Folk Music Heroes - The Weavers were first, The Kingston Trio (I can still listen to them) - Bob Dylan's first album just blew me away. Looking back, it's amazing how quickly and in such a short period of time the Beatles and Jefferson Airplane replaced them all.

So … As I slip slowly into senility and regress to the level of a 15-year-old "fan" (we're not talking poster on the wall yet, but who knows) I'm delighted to say I've found a truly great mandolin hero - Butch Baldassari.

Who's yours?

[catmandu2]

Who's yours?

Mine would have to be those who inspired me most when I was 15 (Page and JPJ) - introduced me to not only mndln, but also dadgad gtr, banjo, pedal steel, and Bert Jansch...which got me into trad music, in which I'm still immersed today.

*More contemporaneously, I suppose Sam Bush - who I saw performing (with NGR-mates) in a Boulder record store. I thought - his double mand/fiddle case was the bees knees - inspired me to get one (and play more fiddle)

[Bill McCall]

Jethro.

He's why I have a 2 point.

[acousticphd]

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

[Denny Gies]

The Dawg, Sam, Bill.............I guess anyone who can play better than I can.

[George R. Lane]

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,

[foldedpath]

I'm in a strange place on this one, because I'm only playing Irish/Scottish/Cape Breton traditional music these days. All my heroes are now famous fiddlers, pipers, flute players. No same-instrument heroes, like the many I used to have through 35 years as a guitar player.

There are individual artists playing mandolin in trad whose work I respect. But none that I would say have as much prominence, or frankly as much to learn from, as the players of the older and more established instruments. Maybe because as mandolin players, we're all still trying to figure out how we fit into this music... making it up as we go along.

[JEStanek]

For me, most likely Thile, Dawg, and Statman.

Jamie

[MikeZito]

I am proud to say that my mandolin hero later became my friend . . . Bill Bolick of the Blue Sky Boys.

[billkilpatrick]

I think Chris Thile might be the "Paganini" of the mandolin world - in terms of technical brilliance I haven't heard anyone who even comes close … Evan Marshall, perhaps. I like Baldassari because to me, he plays like what a mandolin should sound like. To paraphrase Sir Thomas Beecham's observation on gentlemen and bagpipes, Baldassari can play too many notes, but he doesn't.

This is interesting - the ranking is totally-wholly-wildly subjective:

http://www.ranker.com/list/greatest-...e/ranker-music

[billkilpatrick]

I am proud to say that my mandolin hero later became my friend . . . Bill Bolick of the Blue Sky Boys.

Wow! I like his playing a lot.

[Mike Snyder]

Bush, Steffy, Reischman

[stevedenver]

For me, most likely Thile, Dawg, and Statman.

Jamie

Mine too.
The dawg and the staat really made me see a new way.
Thile too.

All so musically open and fresh.

[Tom Wright]

Don Stiernberg as musician, jazz player, mandolin player, entertainer, and a real mensch, from whom I have learned much in all those areas.

[UsuallyPickin]

Dave Peters ...... I will never touch his level of speed , clarity, tone and taste. And the other twenty master level musicians I listen to that play the mandolin between J.B. and C.T. .... R/

[marbelizer]

Grisman grabbed my attention and got me interested in the mandolin in the first place. Then Ronnie McCoury and Ricky Skaggs for their sheer bluegrass soul and intensity. John Reischman set me on the proper path in a couple workshops I took with him. He's not only a master mandolinist but a real mensch as well.

Sierra Hull also kicks ass.

[Miked]

I got introduced to Bill Monroe's music by listening to David Grisman. I have many mandolin heros, but the top dog is Dawg!

[Ron McMillan]

Hero worship is sad and unhealthy in my not-so-humble opinion. I make one exception, my daughter - and she doesn't play mandolin.

[George R. Lane]

Ron,
I admire JR for his style of playing, not hero worship. My hero is my wife, not only does she take care of me, but my grand daughter and great grand daughter along with running our company and holding down 2 part-time jobs (she works from our home). She also helps me with our farm. Now that my friends is a great woman.

[twilson]

Don Stiernberg as musician, jazz player, mandolin player, entertainer, and a real mensch, from whom I have learned much in all those areas.

Hear, hear.

[Sakamichi]

I'd have to say my wife; she's the one who piqued my interest in the mandolin.

[Tavy]

Tim O Brien, Grisman on the Trio recordings.

[Mandoplumb]

My Dad played, any string instrument but banjo mostly. I loved him and his music and went with him any time I could. I guess he was my real hero, but my mandolin hero was a man no one has heard of because he didn't play professionally but he had professional ability. His name was Jimmy Tabor and he played a style all his own, the closet I've ever heard to him was Zeak Morris of the Morris, not old time, not bluegrass, not jazz just Tabor style.

[billkilpatrick]

My Dad played, any string instrument but banjo mostly. I loved him and his music and went with him any time I could. I guess he was my real hero, but my mandolin hero was a man no one has heard of because he didn't play professionally but he had professional ability. His name was Jimmy Tabor and he played a style all his own, the closet I've ever heard to him was Zeak Morris of the Morris, not old time, not bluegrass, not jazz just Tabor style.

Nice …

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t_0Lgip9Lt4

[Jim Garber]

I like Baldassari because to me, he plays like what a mandolin should sound like. To paraphrase Sir Thomas Beecham's observation on gentlemen and bagpipes, Baldassari can play too many notes, but he doesn't.

Butch was indeed a wonderful musician and a nice guy. I had quite a few email conversations with him and finally met him at CMSA in 2004. He will always be missed but he did leave a legacy of wonderful music.