Friends and admirers of the late Herschel Sizemore, the mandolin legend who died in September of 2022 after a long career in bluegrass music, will have a fine chance to reminisce and enjoy his music on August 22 when the Floyd Country Store hosts a tribute concert in his honor.
Performing that night at 7:00 p.m. will be Alan BIbey & Grasstowne and New Standard.
As important a figure as Herschel was in the wider bluegrass world, he was a giant in southwestern Virginia where he lived the majority of his life, and raised his family. There he served as a mentor and elder statesman for the mandolin community, and a direct connection to the first generation of bluegrass, such as Bill Monroe and Flatt & Scruggs, whom he knew quite well. In fact, he was offered the job with Lester and Earl when Curly Seckler quit, though he turned it down as his first child was shortly expected.
To students of bluegrass mandolin, Sizemore is viewed as the third link in the development of the style, following Bill Monroe and Bobby Osborne. Herschel loved telling people about the time Monroe congratulated him for having a personal style that differed from his.
Alan Bibey was among Herschel’s best friends, as well as a serious devotee of his playing. One doubts that anyone is better suited to offer a tribute to the Sizemore style, as well as the catalog he left behind. Likewise, Spencer Blankenship, mandolinist with New Standard, served as an instrumental apprentice with Herschel under a special arts program sponsored by the state of Virginia, and can likewise offer direct examples of his playing.
The Floyd Country Store is located in Floyd, VA, not far from Roanoke, Blacksburg, or Galax.
Tickets for this unique, one-of-a-kind concert can be purchased online for $30, $35 for reserved seating.
Subscribers to Floyd Country Store TV will be able to watch the live stream in real time, and afterwards as well.
