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pdtek |
bluegrit.net
Playing Since: 1970
Interests:
[Socializing] [Helping]
Occupation: Piano Technician
Gender: Male
Age: 70
My Instruments:
Turtle Hill Bluegrass Woody
Favorite Bands/Musicians:
Scott Vestall, Jens Kruger, Blue Highway, Mountain Heart, Lonesome River Band, Hot Rize, Bob Black, Ron Block, Del McCoury Band, Nashville Bluegrass Band, Lou Reid, Wyatt Rice & Santa Cruz, Bluegrass Etc.
Classified Rating: (+1)
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Profile Info:
Visible to: Public
Created 3/24/2004
Last Visit 11/17/2019
From the time I was 15, I was playing guitar in one rock band or another. When I was 18 and working in a guitar store, my girlfriend asked me if I would fix up an old openback banjo to give to her dad on his birthday. Having done some fingerpicking on the guitar, I fooled around with the newly restored banjo and thought it was pretty cool. Through casual conversation I found myself at the house of a friend of a friend who knew this guy that played banjo. Turned out the banjo player was Bob Black, who later spent a couple years playing with Bill Monroe. Anyway, he started playing and it hit me like a sledge hammer. I had to do this thing he was doing. I bought a banjo the next day and for the next year I could barely put it down. I would wake up in the morning and start playing to suddenly realize it was four in the morning. I had no one to teach me so I did a lot of things wrong since all I had was a few records to learn from. The good part about that was it forced me to experiment and improvise, which payed off later. This was 1970 and there was not tab around like there is now, until I was in a music store one day and found the Holy Grail: Earl Scruggs and the Five String Banjo. Now I was on the right track, learning every tune in the book. A few musical friends noticed what I was doing and we ended up starting a bluegrass band called the Warren County String Ticklers. We were together over about the next seven years, and did a LOT of playing. I also gave lessons and did a lot of studio work. Mostly radio and TV commercials. Probably our biggest credit was the opportunity to play some gigs, record an album and do a TV show with the great Jethro Burns. Anyway, after getting burnt out from traveling, I retired from the band and did very little performing over the next twenty years, consumed with getting married, starting a family and a new career in piano tuning. Just a couple of years ago I met a couple of guys that were really good on guitar and fiddle and sang great too. After a little jamming, I decided it was time to start playing banjo again, and it has been even better the second time around!
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