Memories & Tributes
July 11, 2021
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Here's a photo from back in the Army days. Me, Byron and Travis Stewart. I forgot the bass player's name. I'd drive over from Houston now and then to jam with these guys. - Doc Hamilton
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Byron Berline, Mark O'Connor, Bill Monroe, Dan Crary, John Hickman
July 12, 2021
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My connection to Byron came while I was a graduate student (Physics) at UC
San Diego in the '70's. I found that a fellow graduate student, Bill
Paciesas, had similar tastes in music. We both like bluegrass, blues,
and Old Timey. He more to the blues side, me more to the bluegrass side.
Also, I met an undergraduate in Revelle College, Mike Schway, who had
similar interests. He was also an excellent musician and we formed a
band, the Soledad Mountain Ramblers, which played venues around campus.
We three got together and schemed to promote our music interests on campus. We formed a (3 student!) organization, which we called the Society for the Preservation of American Music, SPAM for short. We had a regular radio show on the over-the-wires FM student radio station. We played the music we liked and talked about it. We, somehow, had a great idea - we'll put on a bluegrass concert on campus and hire the Country Gazette, based in nearby LA, for it. Their 'Traitor in our Midst' album was quite hot at the time, and their music could resonate with our student body, we reasoned. Perhaps miraculously, the Gazette agreed to our terms and came down to San Diego for the concert. We waylayed the Revelle cafeteria, which had a stage at the front, for their concert. It was free for the students, and I recall there was a decent audience. The show they gave was really good. I remember when they played a hot instrumental, and Byron first played the fiddle, then picked up his mandolin and played an awesome break. I didn't realize he also was a such a good mandolin player. I think the tune was 'Hot Burrito Breakdown'. Well, before the show, we interviewed the band live on our student radio station. I don't remember what was said, but I do remember when we were talking with Alan Munde. At one point, we asked him about his experiences with Jimmy Martin. Suddenly, the always-smiling, happy-go-lucky Munde became quiet and serious. He wasn't treated well by Martin. Thankfully he found another way. We didn't do any more concerts, but we put on a yearly Mini Folk Festival which included bluegrass acts. At the first one in 1972 we heard Tom Waits, who's from San Diego, and the Aunt Dina's Quilting Party, which had included Larry Rice on mandolin. The highlight was a great set by Merle Travis at the 3rd Annual festival in 1974. Then I graduated and headed east for a job at Cornell. I'm pretty sure I saw Berline's band California at the 1992 Winterhawk festival, the year the Canadian band 'Blue Mule' won the band contest. It's the Winterhawk that had Tony Furtado and Sugarbeet and also Laurie Lewis.
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July 14, 2021
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The news of Byron came this weekend. Just writing it down seems impossible. In my world Byron Berline was a presence; friend, colleague, collaborator, mentor, and old pal, all those to be sure, but more, he was one of those people you knew was special, not just +one in the population. Today people the world over grieve his loss; he was universal and international in scope. I guess that somewhere in most nations of the world there are at least a few people who know Byron's music, and in many nations those fans are in the millions. There is a kind of immortality in that: his playing inspired young people (and some not young) to take up the fiddle or listen closely to traditional music. He reached the millions by playing Hollywood movie soundtracks and pop star recording sessions. And he reached the thousands at live gigs and festivals all over the world, but he also got to the hundreds of down-home folks by personally teaching and mentoring the locals and their kids in his fiddle shop. These that he reached personally will tell the stories for future generations. You could do worse than to be able to tell your grandchildren, "Here's a lick I learned from Berline himself!" That's something that will happen sometime before 2071, and also during and beyond. He was international, was Byron: When we played exotic places in the south Pacific or Europe his virtuosity and energy and big smile crossed over cultural differences and caught the imagination of audiences from very different worlds. Little children on a hard bench in Tonga or The Solomon Islands sat for hours in perfect patience to hear him play and applaud like all Nashville for the magic of "Forked Deer" or "Orange Blossom Special" with the fiddle leading and John Hickman's banjo playing perfect support. Over lunch Byron had great stories to tell of Bill Monroe's band or a Hollywood session or some weirdness we experienced together on the road ten years back. His sense of irony and how things are sometimes serious and absurd all at once let you know he had figured that out. And by gosh he could tell the stories. People like that are rare and priceless, and I got to have lunch with this one in many places and times. Now most knowledgeable fiddle music people will say that Byron's gift was so monumental that it elevated the quality of fiddle playing and traditional music everywhere. And I can tell you that he raised the stakes in guitar playing as well. In the many times I got to work with him, playing the old tunes together, I had an additional responsibility: you gotta' be worthy of such a partner. Of course, we aim to do our best all the time, but in the presence of such a partner as Berline, there's even more reason to make it good, to step up, to excel. But then, same coin, other side: as the greatest of his generation, Byron was also graciously at home and encouraging to all types of other musicians, very young or very old, amateur or pro, good or not-so, he could set them at ease, yuck it up, have fun and show respect all 'round the room. He'd always jump in there with others like they were one of the gang, glad to be there, showing them respect, making them welcome. But when the going got really serious, a gig or a session, or a rehearsal, Byron became the monumental international player and personality and you didn't want to let him down, you worked hard to be worthy. Among the many monuments to his amazing life and gift, are his great family and thriving Oklahoma community. They will miss him, God knows, and so will his whole world. As we grieve for him and celebrate him, we will also look for ways to remember and continue his art and his influence. It's a powerful thing: in the music of the artists he helped and inspired we still hear echoes of Byron himself. His fire passes on in the generations to come. We will be listening for it. Thanks, Pal, for letting us hang with you a few years. You did well, very well. And a hundred years from now, they're going to remember your time here as a golden age. They'll tell the stories and play your music and listen to you again with joy and awe, just like we did. Bon Voyage, Byron, as you continue your journey outward among the stars. - Dan Crary |
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"Two Timer" by
Rico Petruccelli Studio, Silver Spring, MD 1987?
Liz wrote Two Timer for Byron to play on. Byron was a dear friend to many, including Liz and myself. Liz would have been proud to take part.
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July 19, 2021
August 6, 2021
I just remembered I had this online in my Dennis Satterlee Collection
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There were lots of people recording with reel to reel units in the 1950s and 1960 (you included I'm sure). Anyone who got their early exposure to bluegrass at Carlton Haney's first festivals knew that was a given. I was there in 1966 and 1967 helping a friend record everything by everyone. I started getting serious about collecting around 1971 and had very little to trade at the time but there were a couple of people who I believe advertised in Bluegrass Unlimited who got me on my feet, as well as many others, as a tape collector. They should be recognized. First and foremost was a pharmacist from the Chicago area, Don Hoos. All names spelled are going to be phonetic since I haven't heard from any of these people in years. Don had a fabulous collection and was willing to share all of it on cassette tape, which meant that reel to reel guys had to step up to the "new" technology. When I first received his tape list it was about 20 pages of priceless live shows, radio shows and impossible to find recordings. I would say in the 1970s and even early 1980s Don was the go to collector in the United States. I'm sure the Flatt and Scruggs and the Osborne Brothers with Red Allen material came from his collection. The Sapporo, Japan story is an interesting one as well and here comes my phonetic spelling again. I traded reel to reel tape with two Japanese fans, Kenzi Tiara and Toshima (whose last name I forget). We would write to each other on the old "air mail" paper which was much thinner than normal writing paper and cost less to mail internationally. Then we paid the price by sending reel to reel rather than cassette, but we could do it internationally as media mail and it was certainly worth it. I got shows and copies of recordings that no one else in the country had. It was oneof the two of them that got the Sapporo recording for me. I apologize to Toshima for not remembering his last name. It's been a few years. WAMU broadcast a live fundraising bluegrass show annually as well as non-fund raisers, from time to time, when Gary Henderson had guests in the studio. I'm guilty of recording that one off the air. As I told you I gave the bulk of my collection to the International Bluegrass Music Museum, after converting everything to CD, in hopes that at some point they will share it with fans the way you are sharing your collections. Thanks for asking and letting me tell you about these pioneers. -Dennis Satterlee April 18, 2016 |
Monroe's 71st Birthday - Sally Goodin - Byron Berline
Leland Sklar May 25, 2021
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See and hear the story...
Courtesy
September 2021 Excerpts
Editor Dan Miller
Courtesy
Fall 2021 Excerpts
Editor Mary Larsen
Link to "Gold Rush" in Jody's article
(clipped from the link below...)
Full 30-minute vinyl recording of
Bill Monroe's Country Music Hall of Fame 1971
Courtesy
September 2021 Excerpts
Editor Shin Akimoto
September 18, 2021
The "Blue Mask Boys", my fellow
Hudson Valley Bluegrass Association
members' band
Thanks to Jon Ahmadjian (guitar), David Chernack (fiddle), Eric Marshall (bass),
John Moore
The passing of Byron Berline last year was something I wasn't ready for, and I haven't publicly written anything about it because it was pretty personal for me. I guess I just needed to soak on it for awhile. Byron was supposed to always be there. He was bigger than life. I'm still having trouble wrapping my mind around the thought of a world without him in it, especially the world of music. As Steve Spurgin put it at the time, there have been so many wonderful tributes to the man that there's not much I can say that hasn't already been said better than I can say it. But I need to write something that's a little more personal, if for nothing more than to have some closure in my mind and to pay tribute to one of my musical heroes, friends and bandmates.
When I was 13 years old I sat with Stuart Duncan, and Jim and Steve Hady in the front row of a Country Gazette show at Japanese Village, CA, looking up at Byron towering above us, playing the fiddle with a power, warmth and precision that gave even this 13 year old kid goose bumps. Later that year I sat in Bill Monroe's motor home at the Norco Bluegrass Festival with Marty Stuart, playing some tunes. Marty was a 15 year old kid playing mandolin with Lester Flatt at the time and we'd met at the Grand Ole Opry. We were bumming around looking for a jam session when Marty drug me into Bill's motor home, and I was worried, thinking we'd be in trouble. But Marty knew Bill, so all was well. After a bit Bill and Kenny Baker walked in. I was in a room full of giants - these guys were my musical heroes. Then Byron Berline walked in. It was the first time I'd met him and I was mesmerized. In my 13 year old mind he was the biggest giant in the room. He and Bill played my dobro mandolin and pronounced it good. I was thrilled.
A few years later Byron recruited me to play guitar with him in the L.A. Fiddle band along with Ray Park, Bruce Johnson and Dennis Fetchet, and for countless concerts, festivals, soundtracks, recordings and shows. Byron was the busiest musician I knew and he kept me employed and my rent paid for years We played every club in Southern CA and festivals and shows all over the country.
After Vince Gill left for Nashville to pursue his career, I became Byron's right hand guitar and mandolin man for all those years he was in Southern California, before he moved to Oklahoma. Byron opened up the world of studio work for me. He referred every studio gig to me that came his way that needed guitar or mandolin, and I had the privilege of playing in many movies, commercials and TV shows, as well as with other musical giants because of him. Having a recommendation from Byron was a pass key to my career. He was so well respected that a word from him was enough. Byron's referral carried weight.
I left Byron's house in Sherman Oaks late one night after a gig, depressed and unsure of the future. I could pick, but that isn't always enough, and I wasn't sure how I fit into this crazy world of making a living in music. He listened to me as we leaned against his '63 Plymouth Valiant out in his driveway and stared up at the stars I felt lost and he sensed it. Then he patted me on the back and said "Let me do some thinking". I drove the 3 hours home that night with a troubled mind. BCH (Berline, Crary & Hickman) had just added Steve Spurgin on bass and had recorded a new album. Byron called a couple days later and told me BCH was re-forming into a 5 piece band with me on the mandolin, and we were going to have to come up with a new name. It was the beginning of the band "California". We recorded and toured the world together.
But, the biggest blessing of my association with Byron was the friendship between us, and with his wife Bette and their daughter Becca. Byron was from Oklahoma (actually born across the line in Kansas but grew up in Oklahoma), and so was my dad, and they hit it off like old friends from the start. Okies speak "Okie" and there's a connection that outsiders don't understand. I never had a conversation with Byron when he didn't ask "How's your folks doing?" And the softball games we played with John Hickman, Dennis Caplinger, my sister Julee, Ron Johnson, Byron, Becca and Dan Crary are some of my best memories. John Hickman had an arm like a rifle by the way.
I travelled thousands of miles with Byron, roomed with him, wrote tunes with him, recorded with him, did workshops together with him, played countless shows with him. So many times we'd be playing a show somewhere and I'd be standing there with John Hickman on my right, Byron on my left, and Spurgin and Crary on down the line; and I'd look down that line at these guys and think "Man, I'm the luckiest guy in the world". As I stood there next to Byron while we played Sally Goodin' to wrap up the set, I'd watch him draw the bow across the strings, and he would make it sing like running your finger around the rim of a wine glass. The power in his bow arm would make the fiddle resonate to the point that the whole room would start resonating till it felt like the windows would shatter in the back of the hall.
I've rambled enough here. I'll skip the road stories (there are so many) and fast forward through the memories. Byron was everybody's friend and we all have so many good memories of a fine man and a legendary fiddler.
When his nephew Barry Patton called to tell me Byron had just had a stroke and was in the hospital, but that he was doing ok and was on the slow road to recovery, I never dreamed I was about to run out of time to see my old friend and just sit with him and be there for him as he did for me that night in his driveway so long ago. I started wrapping up some things at home and getting ready to make a run back to Oklahoma to see him. But Byron left us before I got there. I wanted to tell him how much he meant to me. to tell him that I knew how much he'd done for me and how he'd been a friend when I really needed one. And how nearly everything in my life today, from my wife and kids to my horse clinic business can be traced back to meeting Byron Berline 48 years ago. I didn't get to tell him, but I think he knew. So farewell my dear friend, and thank you from the bottom of my heart. I'll see you later.
Last Update: September 22, 2022
(all of whom are board members!), graciously honored my last-minute request
to play "Gold Rush" and dedicate it to Byron.
Steve Margulis (mandolin), Bruno Bruzzese (banjo)
September 22, 2022
-John Moore September 21, 2022
John Hickman, Steve Spurgin, Byron Berline, John Moore, Dan Crary
John Moore, Earl Scruggs, Roy Clark, Byron Berline
John Hickman, John Moore, Steve Spurgin, Byron Berline, Dan Crary
John Hickman, Byron Berline, Arnold Schwarzenegger, John Moore
Bill Bryson, John Moore, Jan Browne, Byron Berline, Vince Gill, Dennis Caplinger
John Hickman, Dennis Fetchet, Byron Berline, John Moore, Wally Barnick, Skip Conover
John Hickman, John Moore, Byron Berline, Steve Spurgin, Dan Crary
John Moore, Byron Berline
John Moore, Byron Berline, Buddy Ebsen, Roy Clark, Jerry Scoggins, Earl Scruggs
John Hickman, John Moore, Byron Berline, Steve Spurgin, Dan Crary (Torsåker bluegrass festival, Sweden)
Bill Monroe, John Moore
Previous Update: September 22, 2021
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