In 1972 we went to Nova Scotia. In the succeeding 18 years I made many trips to Boston for books and records, and bought a lot by mail order as well. Catalogs from Roundup (in Cambridge) and Down Home Music (in El Cerrito, CA) brought a very broad variety of artists and musics to my attention.
Norman Blake
Old Brown Case
John Hartford Vamp in the Middle
Grisman Quintet/Quartet
Tony Rice's guitar break in E.M.D ("Eat My Dust") was truly life-changing. I had theretofore almost no idea of the possibilities of guitar as a lead instrument in Bluegrass and related musics.
Bill Monroe
Of course I knew of the Bluegrass Boys, but it wasn't until I heard Get Up John that the mystery of Bluegrass really impressed me:
Pentangle
John Renbourn
Martin Carthy
I knew of The Watersons unaccompanied singing, and that Martin had joined the group. I should have connected with his solo work sooner than I did, his use of non-standard tunings being irresistable. The version of Byker Hill (with Dave Swarbrick) blew me away.
Paco de Lucia Bulerias
(from Carlos Saura's Carmen)
John Miller
First encountered as a member of the Ithaca-based band Country Cooking, but his solo work is what really grabbed me. See biographical info for more details
A 1979-1980 sabbatical at Stanford booted me into record-buying binges and coincided with my increasing fascination with mandolin-family instruments. I went to concerts (Grisman most significantly) and began to explore "world music" more energetically. Radio station KFAT contributed mightily.
I hunted up John Bilezikjian and spent a morning with him:
Klezmorim
Klezmer Conservatory Band
Bireli Lagrene
1983
Andy Statman Wheels of Karma break 1:50-2:27
Statman with Zev Feldman
Clarence White
I first heard of him 5 years after his death (I had been unaware of his membership in The Byrds, and of his Bluegrass origins and lead guitar innovations). Amazement ensued when I heard pieces like Sheik of Araby
Clarence's B-bender:
Kaleidoscope
It's just as well that I didn't know of Kaleidoscope during my graduate student years. They might have derailed my academic career...
Bothy Band
One of the rich burst of Irish music that I followed in the 70s and 80s
Andy Irvine and Planxty
Martin Simpson
Nic Jones
Paul Brady
Dick Gaughan
Tom Waits looms large for sheer creepiness:
I first learned of Rembetika via listings in Downhome Music's record catalog for a 6-record compilation and Gail Holst's Road to Rembetika: music of a greek sub-culture, songs of love, sorrow and hashish. Instantly smitten and sucked into a massive obsession. See an expansion of this passion.
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