Playing Since: 1961
Experience Level: Purty Good

Interests:
[Socializing] [Helping]

Occupation: retired

Gender: Male
Age: 81

My Instruments:
1929 Vega Tubaphone w. Michael Allison neck;
n.d. Stromberg Marimba w. Leonard Coulson neck

Favorite Bands/Musicians:
Too many to mention. Favorite banjo player (I learned to frail from her book): Peggy Seeger. Also learned a lot from Pete & Mike Seeger and Tom Paley. I love Pogo Possum for his enthusiasm, although I've never actually heard him play.

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Profile Info:
Visible to: Public
Created 1/17/2008
Last Visit 1/26/2017

Born in Bridgeport, Connecticut. Got blisters at early age trying to play old banjo with only two strings, found in attic. Got guitar at 14; got serious about it at 17; acquired 1st banjo then and started to learn. (Play mainly clawhammer, some fingerstyle. Have played some Scruggs-style, but not good at it.) Other instruments came later. Played in various old-time, bluegrass, and rock bands. Very involved in the 'sixties folk revival. Worked at New York and Newport Folk Festivals, where I met many of the old-timers who were still around then (for instance, Dock Boggs, Roscoe Holcomb, Kirk McGee) and also younger musicians (Peter Siegel, Hank Schwartz, Winnie Winston). Moved into rock with the 'sixties culture. Got married. Went back to bluegrass. Played guitar with Last Fair Deal, Tasty Licks (one album), The Robin Kincaid Band. Some commercial studio work. Raised two kids. Got involved in theater: acted, directed, wrote, teched - even played music, both onstage and in pit orchestras. Got divorced. Got remarried. Currently play clawhammer banjo, flatpick and fingerstyle guitar, fiddle, mouth harp, autoharp, though not regularly. Have also done some instrument repair. Own several banjos that are non-playable and need work that I can't afford and am not equipped to do myself right now. So it goes.