Players who inspired you take up the mandolin

[Andy Irvine Fan]

Andy Irvine was the biggest inspiration...........who'd have guessed eh!?
I also enjoy johnny moynihans playing.

[Paul Hird]

All of my friends and acquaintances that play around the campfire after listening to the famous people on stage.

[Mike Scott]

Dash Crofts.........

Well not really. I would say David Grisman after seeing Grateful Dawg or my grandfather who I never heard play but understand he was pretty good.

[RobAlan]

Butch Baldassari

[Rush Burkhardt]

My friend Carroll Swam! We formed a bluegrass, old-timey band in the 60's. Guitar, banjo and fiddle were spoken for. It was either the mandolin or the bass... I drove a small car!

[Annette Siegel]

Annabelle Chvostek - Inspired me to start and then discovered - Chris Thile, Marla Fibish, Mike Marshall....the list could go on and on!

[Samuel David Britton]

My worship leader Jeremy, he inspires me to be a better musician.

[Jon Hall]

In 1970, I saw Levon Helm play the mandolin in a Band concert. In the same year I saw Robin Williamson play the mandolin during a Incredible String Band concert. After that I was hooked for life.

[Susan H.]

Gerald Jones, and the late Butch Baldassari. Gerald is really good on mandolin, I'm a little biased as he's my teacher too. Butch was such a talent, that left us too early.

[bratsche]

The instruments themselves (particularly mandolas) inspired me to take them up, not any players. I don't think I had even heard anyone play one yet when I bought my first mandola. That came afterward.

bratsche

[Mark Wilson]

Oddly enough not so much the player himself (Marlin) but just the feel of what his playing added to a simple guitar/mandolin folk track I heard on youtube. I was looking to stretch out a little on my homemade recordings and when I heard that track I knew before it ended that I wanted to learn to play the mandolin.

Mandolin Orange

[9lbShellhamer]

Listening to the mandolin on the Lonesome River Band's "carrying on the tradition" made me fall in love with the mandolin. I was only 21 at the time.

Also, The "Puttin' new roots down" from IIIrd time out was a huge draw for me.

Was it Adam Steffey on Lonesome's "Carrying On..." ?

Obviously, Thile would be my biggest influence, but listening to the more classic players like Steffey and also Wayne Benson have been a big influence who I want to aspire to. I saw Wayne at Bean Blossom this year..what a talent.

[JGWoods]

Ralph Rinzler and Frank Wakefield in the Greenbrier Boys were the first to reach my ears with the mandolin. Being a big guy I didn't think my fingers would fit until - as I mentioned on page one of this thread- Mike (fatfingers) Holmes played an F4 in front of me then handed it to me. That is when I jumped in.
I immediately hit a wall and it took 2 years of staring at my mandolin before I tried a second time and found my way into it. I never looked back and have a few dusty guitars to show for it.

[cayuga red]

Dave Harvey and Joe Carr

[RichardF]

My first inspiration was Barney McKenna's Tenor Banjo playing but I couldn't afford one 40 years ago. However I did persuade an aunt to buy me my first cheap mandolin and my love affair began.

[David Lewis]

I may have answerd this, but Ian Anderson from Jethro Tull, then Levon Helm: Rockin' chair.... when listening to Levon convinced me to buy a mandolin, Google led me to FFcP, here, and a friend told me of Dawg. However, when I heard Sam Bush, I had a player I could model myself around and use as an avatar of how to play. Now, I listen to Sam, thile, Compton, stienberg, anick, Marshall, Apollon, Burns....

[Vernon Hughes]

Dewey Farmer!

[Michael Bridges]

Honestly, the first time I heard the Mandolin kick-off for "Man of Constant Sorrow" from the O Brother soundtrack.Not sure who played it. I hadn't really played for 20+ yrs. before that (after playing professionally from 17-30), and just drifted away. That was the first music I'd listened to in so many years that made me want to play again!

[Joseph Baker]

I had been playing folk music on mandolin for a number of years.
It was when I heard Peter Ostrousko play Bach on A Prarie Home Companion that my mind was opened to what was possible with a mandolin.

Joseph Baker

[Mark Wilson]

Honestly, the first time I heard the Mandolin kick-off for "Man of Constant Sorrow" from the O Brother soundtrack.

I love that version! Yes... great kick off

[Jim Ferguson]

Honestly, the first time I heard the Mandolin kick-off for "Man of Constant Sorrow" from the O Brother soundtrack.Not sure who played it. I hadn't really played for 20+ yrs. before that (after playing professionally from 17-30), and just drifted away. That was the first music I'd listened to in so many years that made me want to play again!

I wonder if that was Dan Tyminski playing mando on that version Mike...........he was doing the vocals.
Peace,

[OldSausage]

It was Mike Compton on mandolin on that track, I believe.

[2Sharp]

It was Mike Compton on mandolin on that track, I believe.

Indeed it was

[ides1056]

Mike Marshall. I heard him playing mandocello on youtube, and then bought one from Randy Wood. Jumped right in at the deep end of the pool. Had played banjo for less than a year. Now I have a lovely F4 Fletcher Brock made, courtesy of a gentleman from the cafe here. I can't play well at all, but I love it, and I've got time. So my reach exceeds my grasp, I have two magnificent sounding instruments whose sonic capabilities I will continue to aspire to exploring.

[Big Ed]

Bill Monroe then all the rest.