Bluegrass pioneer Curly Seckler was honored in the North Carolina Legislature yesterday (4/13) in a statement read in the State Senate in Raleigh.
The Statement, which was introduced by Senator Andrew Brock of Rowan County, recognizes Seckler for his many accomplishments over 75 years in bluegrass music. It also acknowledges his brothers Marvin, George and Duard, with whom he first performed as the Yodeling Rangers in 1935 on Radio WSTP in Salisbury, North Carolina.
Duard and Marvin Sechler (the original spelling of the surname), both of whom played guitar, passed away in 2002 and 2009, respectively. George Sechler, who was the band’s fiddle player and emcee, currently resides in Texas.
Curly went on to perform with many of the top names in bluegrass, including Charlie Monroe, the Stanley Brothers, Jim & Jesse, and Flatt & Scruggs, however he always maintained close ties to his family back in China Grove.
He even wrote a song entitled, China Grove, My Hometown, which was included on his CD Down in Caroline (Copper Creek 0236), released in November 2005.
In 2009, Seckler appeared on the North Carolina People program on UNC-TV. As well as having brief performance clips, the 25-minute program addresses his Carolina roots.
Seckler, who celebrated his 91st birthday on December 25, 2010, was inducted into the North Carolina Music Hall of Fame that same year.
Though Seckler, who now resides in Hendersonville, Tennessee, was unable to be present for the reading, he was surely there in spirit, and he looks forward to receiving a copy of the Senatorial Statement in due course. Curly says of this honor…
“It is a great honor to be recognized in my home state of North Carolina, and I appreciate all the folks back home remembering me and my brothers and our music.”
The statement can be read in full in this PDF file.
