I spoke today with mandolin legend Herschel Sizemore, who shared that he has been elected to the Alabama Bluegrass Hall of Fame.
He will be traveling to Bessemer, AL on March 18 for his official induction at the Bessemer Civic Center. The next day, Herschel will hold a mandolin workshop in Elgin Crossroads, followed by a concert that evening.
Sizemore made his mark starting in the 1950s, when he emerged as one of the first mandolin stylists to break away from Bill Monroe’s method of playing. Along with Rual Yarborough and Jake Landers, Sizemore formed The Dixie Gentlemen, based in Alabama where they all lived at the time. The band recorded for United Artists and developed a worldwide following during the early days of bluegrass.
Herschel also worked with such seminal bluegrass artists as Jimmy Martin and Del McCoury, and was a member of Country Grass, The Shenandoah Cut-Ups, and The Bluegrass Cardinals before retiring from active performing a few years ago.
Sizemore has released a number of albums of his original mandolin tunes, and is the composer of Rebecca, one of the most popular bluegrass instrumentals of all time. His unique and influential style was featured in both a transcription book and instructional DVD from AcuTab, and he has been invited as an instructor at the most prestigious mandolin seminars in the country.
This award is well-deserved, and befitting the tremendous contribution Herschel has made to our music. We hope to get photos from the induction in March, which we will share on Bluegrass Today.
