Richard Greene | |
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Born | Los Angeles, California, U.S. | November 9, 1942
Genres | Classical, rock, bluegrass |
Occupation | Musician |
Instrument | Violin |
Years active | 1964–present |
Website | www |
Richard Greene (born November 9, 1942) is an American violinist who has been described as "one of the most innovative and influential fiddle players of all time". [1] Greene is credited with introducing the chop to fiddle playing while working with Bill Monroe and the Blue Grass Boys, the invention of which he attributes to pain in his wrist and arm and "laziness". [2] He featured the technique in his performances with Seatrain. [2]
Greene was born in Beverly Hills and grew up in Los Angeles. He began studying classical music at age 5 but turned to folk music by high school. After entering the University of California, Berkeley, he joined the Coast Mountain Ramblers and later the Dry City Scat Band, led by guitarist David Lindley. [3] [4] Greene first attained prominence with Bill Monroe and the Bluegrass Boys in 1966 as one of Monroe's first "northern" band members. He then joined the Jim Kweskin Jug Band, recording with them on the 1967 album Garden of Joy. [3]
After playing briefly with the Blues Project, Greene joined Blues Project founder Andy Kulberg and Jim Roberts in forming the roots-fusion band Sea Train, which released its self-titled debut in 1969. The band's second self-titled album, released the next year under the newly-shortened name Seatrain, was produced by Beatles producer George Martin and included the hit song "13 Questions". [5] By then, Earth Opera guitarist Peter Rowan had joined the band, which played a mix of rock, bluegrass, folk, and blues. [6]
Other bands Greene has been with, usually as a leader or co-leader, include: [7] [8]
Greene also has recorded or performed with Red Allen, Bill Monroe, Gary Burton, Melissa Manchester, Greenbriar Boys, James Taylor, Tony Rice, Linda Ronstadt, Dolly Parton, Emmylou Harris, Kenny Rankin, Bob Seger, Old & In the Way, Brian Wilson, Eddie Adcock, George Strait, Loggins and Messina, Crosby, Stills & Nash, Peter Rowan, Deana Carter, Rod Stewart, Lacy J. Dalton, Jerry Garcia, Van Dyke Parks, Bruce Springsteen, Sting, Joss Stone, Richard Thompson, Kelly Clarkson, Mandy Moore, Tony Bennett, and the Wagner Ensemble (Jeannine Wagner). [8]
He has headlined major festivals, including Telluride, Sedona, and Live Oak. He teaches courses at the Mancini Institute, the RockyGrass Academy, the Festival of Fiddle Tunes, Mark O'Connor Fiddle Camp, the Rocky Mountain Fiddle Camp, the Swannanoa Gathering, and dozens of ad hoc workshops throughout the year.
William Smith Monroe was an American mandolinist, singer, and songwriter, and created the bluegrass music genre. Because of this, he is often called the "Father of Bluegrass".
The Stanley Brothers were an American bluegrass duo of singer-songwriters and musicians, made up of brothers Carter Stanley and Ralph Stanley. Ralph and Carter performed as The Stanley Brothers with their band, The Clinch Mountain Boys, from 1946 to 1966. Ralph kept the band name when he continued as a solo artist after Carter's death, from 1967 until his own death in 2016. Thomas Goldsmith: This article continues to state that “many years later,” Ralph started playing again after Carter’s death. This is not just wrong, but absurdly wrong. As seen in many accounts of Ralph’s career, he essentially never stopped performing after Carter’s death. He played some remaining Stanley Brothers dates, then moved forward with the Clinch Mountain Boys, performing until not long before his own death.
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Seatrain was an American jazz rock/roots rock band based initially in Marin County, California, and later in Marblehead, Massachusetts. Seatrain was formed in 1969, subsequently drawing some members from the Blues Project when it broke up. Seatrain recorded four albums and disbanded in 1973.
Roland Joseph White was an American bluegrass music artist, performing principally on the mandolin. He was inducted into the International Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame in 2017.
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This article presents the discography of singer, composer, guitar and mandolin player Peter Rowan.
Bluegrass fiddling is a distinctive style of American fiddle playing which is characterized by bold, bluesy improvisation, off-beat "chopping", and sophisticated use of both double-stops and old-time bowing patterns.
Jim Shumate was a fiddler that played with Bill Monroe and the Blue Grass Boys from 1943–1945. Shumate's main influences were Fiddlin' Arthur Smith, Curly Fox, and his uncle who played the fiddle while he was growing up. Shumate joined the band after Bill Monroe heard him playing on the radio station WHKY from downtown Hickory, North Carolina, and asked him to join the Blue Grass Boys. Howdy Forrester, who was Bill Monroe's fiddle player at the time, gave his notice and was going into the Navy. At age 20, Shumate became the fiddler for the Blue Grass Boys, and he sang bass on gospel songs. During this time, the Blue Grass Boys were also a baseball team, so they would arrive early to towns they were playing at and challenge the local baseball team. Unfortunately, there were no recordings made while Shumate was in the Blue Grass Boys.
Live at the Boarding House: The Complete Shows is a four-CD live album by the bluegrass band Old & In the Way. It was recorded on October 1 and October 8, 1973, at the Boarding House in San Francisco, and contains the complete concerts from those dates. It was released by Acoustic Disc and Acoustic Oasis on October 1, 2013. The album includes 55 tracks, 14 of which were previously unreleased.
Richard Greene is an American violinist. In addition to his 11 solo albums and his recordings with Seatrain, Muleskinner, and the Greene String Quartet, he has been featured as a performer on many albums by other artists.