Dudley Connell, whose driving rhythm guitar playing and powerful voice have shaped the Seldom Scene for nearly 30 years, is leaving the band at the end of year.
“It’s been a wonderful run, and I have enjoyed every minute of it,” he announced on Facebook. “I’m grateful to have had the opportunity to work with my good friends in the Scene. They are some of the finest people and greatest musicians a person could hope to play with.”
Connell, elected to the Bluegrass Hall of Fame with other members of the Johnson Mountain Boys four years ago, joined the Seldom Scene 29 years ago, on the same day that dobroist Fred Travers and bassist Ronnie Simpkins, successfully auditioned with band co-founder John Duffey. That trio, along with Lou Reid and founding member Ben Eldridge, moved the band into a new century, winning new fans along the way.
With the relentless passage of time, change is inevitable. And the Scene has seen its share. Bassist Tom Gray is the last surviving original member, although he left the band decades ago. I never saw the Duffey-led unit before the legendary showman died in 1996. But I think I know how serious fans from that era felt when Duffey was gone. I have a hard time imagining the Scene without Connell’s mountain-infused voice, and corny jokes about Travers playing a guitar adorned with the hubcap from an old Buick.
To me, the harmonies from Connell, Travers, and Reid are the best in the business. Any band looking for how it’s done could do no better than catching a Scene show, or listening through the band’s catalog.
But Connell doesn’t just perform the music, he lives it. His job as an audio archivist at the National Council for Traditional Arts paid him to listen to music – how cool is that – and exposed him to great performances that he frequently shares on social media. He is especially enamored with the vocals of the late Carter Stanley.
“It’s been a wonderful run, and I have enjoyed every minute of it,” he posted.
No word about the future of the Scene, but it seems certain the band will soldier on, as it has in one iteration or another since 1971. But this much is clear: There will be some mighty big shoes to fill behind the microphone.
Best of luck to the band, and to my friend Dudley Connell, in their next chapters. Long may they run.
