Byron Berline visits the SY Valley Grange

National fiddle champion Byron Berline brought his band from Guthrie, Oklahoma for a musical visit to Los Olivos, California, entertaining a very happy, sold out crowd at the Santa Ynez Valley Grange Hall last night.Byron at Grange Hall

It was great to visit with old friends: John Hickman – a wonderful banjo player, Steve Short – adding the Western Swing touch with drums, Richard Sharp, bass, and a surprise, John Moore – now living in Colorado, subbing for Jim Fish on guitar. The band tore it up, much to the delight of our great audience, with a mix of fiddle tunes, bluegrass, and western swing classics. Byron introduced a new mandolin tune whose name I didn’t catch – maybe some else can add the title.

Another surprise was a visit by violin virtuoso Gilles Apap. Gilles and Byron traded some very hot licks on “Sweet Georgia Brown” and “twined up” the Bob Wills standard “Take Me Back To Tulsa”. A really fun night! Thanks to all those who supported this show.

-Peter

About Peter Feldmann

Peter Feldmann has long been a musical mainstay in Santa Barbara and Southern California. Besides actively performing bluegrass and old time music with a variety of groups, Peter is also known as a bluegrass historian, collector, music consultant, teacher, and producer, both of live concerts and radio/tv programs throughout the area. His music has been heard in clubs, concerts, saloons, universities, pre-schools, at weddings, wakes, parties, barn-raisings, calf-ropings, rodeos, auctions, fund raisers, wine tastings and chili cook offs. Peter founded Santa Barbara's Old Time Fiddler's Convention (1972), UCSB's Old Time Music Front (1964), and The Bluebird Cafe (1971). Through these and other outlets, he was the first to bring many prominent folk, blues, and bluegrass artists, including Bill Monroe, Mance Lipscomb, The Stanley Brothers, The New Lost City Ramblers, Fred McDowell, Furry Lewis, Rose Maddox, the Balfa Brothers, and many others to the Santa Barbara area. Peter also helped others access the music by teaching privately, and in group classes for Santa Barbara Continuing Education, UCSB Extension, and McCabes Guitars. He was the first on the West Coast to produce and market instruction Lps - three on How To Play Country Fiddle, and one each on Clawhammer Banjo, and Maybelle Carter Style Guitar. He still presents lectures on country music history at UCSB, Santa Barbara area libraries, and for various interest groups, festival workshops, etc. In 2006, he presented his monograph titled "The Big bang Of Bluegrass Music" (describing the origins of bluegrass 1938 - 1946) to the worlds first International Music Symposium at the University of Kentucky at Bowling Green. He has also been very active in radio, television, and film work, producing weekly shows on country and bluegrass music over a 21 year period on various commercial and public stations. Peter currently maintains three music-related websites, a music blog, and an entertainment service company, "BlueGrass West!", based in the Santa Ynez Valley in Southern California. Peter performs tunes and songs from the heart of America's musical treasure chest. His shows can include fiddle, guitar, banjo, and mandolin. Well-known as a historian and teacher, Peter is first and foremost an entertainer, sharing his respect, energy and love for the music with his fellow musicians, friends, and audiences.
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1 Response to Byron Berline visits the SY Valley Grange

  1. Hello!

    The new Larry Sparks album, The Last Suit You Wear, will be released on May 1, and McCoury Music would like to make a special discount offer to all the Bluegrass faithful to purchase this new release for $10 plus shipping. In addition, we’ll ship as soon as you order, so you’ll be the first to receive this project. We couldn’t think of a better way to kick off the first non-McCoury release on the label than to share it with our friends first.

    Click over to http://www.mccourymusic.net and check out a few song clips and more info on the album.

    Thanks for your continued support!
    McCoury Music

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