Tag: Byron Berline

A Berline & Hickman timeline from Bette Berline and Sue Hickman

Byron Berline and John Hickman are two distinguished figures in bluegrass music, each carving out their unique paths in the industry. Berline, known for his virtuosic skills as a fiddler, and Hickman, a talented banjo player, captivated audiences with their exceptional talents and collaborative works.

Recently I spent the day with their wives, and we waltzed through their musical journeys of and daily lives, explored their individual careers, and shared projects and the lasting impact they have made on the music world. Join me on a journey through the lives and music of Byron Berline and John Hickman.

 As I drove North on I-35, I played through my mind, how I was going to “do this interview;” but it was to my astonishment that I was so nervous. I was fortunate enough to hang out with both of these musicians and their families many times, but had never been to the Berline home. 

Pulling into the semi-circle driveway my heart was pounding and my hands were sweaty.  But then I was greeted with Bette Berline’s smile, and I entered her childhood home. Bette’s father was a physician in Guthrie, OK, and after her parents’ passing, she and Byron moved into the house she had grown up in. The home itself was more like a museum of her and Byron’s life.

Upon entering, to my immediate left was a curved couch, and the piano that played a vital role in Bette’s childhood. As I sat at the breakfast table, with my heart still pounding, I began to relax and listen, but i was probably sitting with my mouth agape. I didn’t ask a lot, but I sure learned plenty.

Ever wonder what a day in the lives of musical maestros Byron Berline and John Hickman looks like? The two spent their later years working together at The Double Stop Fiddle Shop. Picture this: mornings brewing coffee to the sound of fiddles tuning, afternoons jamming away in the shop, and evenings winding down with some good ol’ bluegrass tunes. Yup, that’s the kind of day these two legends thrived on.

Bette and I and Sue Hickman sat at the table with a breathtaking view of the back yard. I sat across from Byron’s empty chair, the exact spot where he would eat his meals. Bette shared with me that, “Byron allowed me to do what I loved.”

Breakfast was a topic we went over. “Byron always had a bowl of cereal for breakfast, with ½ of a banana. He always wanted to use the whole banana but I would tell him you get the same taste with ½,” she grinned. Sue chimed in, ”John loved grits, waffles, and fried eggs. His eggs couldn’t be jiggly or runny.” The ease of listening was taking away the nerves by now, and I leaned back in the chair eager to know more.

Reaching behind her, Bette picked up a box chocked full of memories, as she and Sue began walking down memory lane with me tagging along.

Here’s a timeline they shared of Berline and Hickman’s musical contributions:

1965 – Byron recorded Pickin’ and Fiddlin’ with The Dillards. He also met Bill Monroe at the Newport Folk Festival and was offered the chance of a lifetime, to join the band, but Byron turned it down to finish his education at Oklahoma University.

1967 – Graduating from the University of Oklahoma with a teaching degree in Physical Education, Berline succumbed to his love for bluegrass music and joined Monroe and the Blue Grass Boys in March, replacing Richard Greene. He recorded three instrumentals with them, including Gold Rush, which Berline and Monroe co-wrote, and which has become a jam session standard. Berline left the group in September 1967 when he was drafted into the Army. 

1969 – Two years later, Byron was discharged from the Army and moved his family to California later that same year. It was a time when bluegrass hit the West Coast, and did it ever. Much like a tsunami, Berline tossed the traditional west coast music on its ear. 

1971 – Byron joined The Flying Burrito Brothers, recording two albums, Last of the Red Hot Burritos (Live) and Six Days On the Road: Live in Amsterdam. After the Burritos’ breakup, Berline briefly worked with Stephen Stills’ band Manassas (which also included several other Burritos alumni) contributing to several songs on their debut album. 

1971 – Berline met John Hickman at a lumber yard in California. Hickman’s career is punctuated by memorable performances and collaborations with top musicians in the bluegrass and country music community. His dynamic playing style and commitment to his craft have earned him a well-deserved reputation as a banjo virtuoso. 

1972 – Together with Alan Munde, Kenny Wertz, and Roger Bush, Berline formed the band, Country Gazette. 

1976 – Berline joined guitarist Dan Crary, banjoist John Hickman, and others to form Byron Berline & Sundance. A young Vince Gill later joined the band on mandolin. Bette shared, “While in California, there were jams, gigs, and pickin’ parties held in our garage, which was now called the music room. Vince Gill came to audition for Sundance. He actually lived with us for a while.  Byron had first heard Vince at a festival in Kentucky, and knew that the young Vince was from the Oklahoma City area. So on our next visit to Oklahoma, Byron took out the telephone book and thumbed through the Gills. Only finding three Gills in the phone book, Byron started dialing and was successful in locating Vince.”

1979 – Berline had a small role as a country musician in the film, The Rose.

1981 – Berline again collaborated with Crary and Hickman, forming the band Berline, Crary, and Hickman (BCH). Berline and Hickman joined forces on various projects, blending their unique musical talents to create captivating performances that showcased their exceptional chemistry and skill. Their collaborations have produced timeless music that continues to resonate with audiences worldwide.

A subsequent line up also included Steve Spurgin and John Moore. That band later became known as California, who were named the International Bluegrass Music Association Instrumental Group of the Year in 1992, 1993, and 1994.

1995 – The Double Stop Fiddle Shop opened when Byron and Bette, and John and Sue, moved to Guthrie, OK. The Byron Berline Band was formed upstairs in the music hall. That small stage housed some of the elite musicians that would drop by to visit with Byron and Hickman. The Double Stop became known as the place to jam, listening to the stories as Byron and John would reminisce about their lives together. The Double Stop may have held the title of one of the most popular bluegrass music stores in the world. Hickman was the luthier, and taught lessons here.

1987 – Berline appeared briefly playing violin in the first-season episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation, Where No One Has Gone Before.

1997- OIBF (Oklahoma International Bluegrass Festival) was founded. Artists from around the world have graced the Berline stage over the years, such as Earl Scruggs, Ricky Skaggs, Sierra Hull, and international artists The Kruger Brothers, and many more. 

April 2019 – A devastating fire destroyed the Double Stop Fiddle Shop, burning it to the ground.

July 2019- Berline opens Byron’s Fiddle Shop

May 2021 – John Hickman passes away after several years of ill health.

July 2021 – Byron passes away following a stroke.

December 14, 2024 – Final Show at Byron’s fiddle shop

January 2025 – Byron’s Fiddle shop closes permanently as a brick and mortar store. Retail sales will continue on by appointment only. Contact Bette Berline, or Becca Berline via Facebook.

As our day was wrapping up, Bette took a seat at her piano, with myself sitting on the couch, and said, “Byron always sat there and listened to me play.” She played a beautiful waltz that she also played (recorded prior) at at her husband’s funeral service in 2021. “We always ended our day here,” as she sat on the mid-century loveseat, “and we watched the news.”

As I gathered up my things, Bette asked, “Have you been to the cemetery?” With an answer in the negative, she climbed into my Jeep and we drove to the cemetery north of town about a mile. Upon arrival, she walked up to her parents’ last resting place. Just north of there, is where Byron is laid to rest.

Beyond the melodies and harmonies lies a legacy of innovation and influence in bluegrass music. Berline and Hickman have left an indelible mark, reshaping the bluegrass landscape with their unique blend of tradition and innovation. Their contribution extends far beyond the notes they play, inspiring generations of musicians to push boundaries and follow their creative muse.

Every year the town of Guthrie awakens in December with a Victorian Walk.  In the original Double Stop was housed a huge plate glass window,  and you could always find the Berlines sitting in that window for those who walked the downtown area.  This December the curtain has fallen on the fiddle shop as a day-to-day operation. As the metal sign will be removed from the building front, the memories will forever linger on. 

In true Christmas fashion, Berline would always end his shows with Christmas Time’s a Comin‘ in December.

New things await the surviving Berline family in 2025. 

Double Stop Fiddle Shop changing business model

Byron Berline’s Double Stop Fiddle Shop, a popular bluegrass gathering spot in Guthrie, Oklahoma, has recently made the strategic decision to close its doors and transition to operating by appointment only.

Things began to  unravel so to speak in February, 2019, when the original Fiddle Shop burned to the ground, devastating the bluegrass community in the area. I can still remember that day, quite clearly, being one of the first media people on location, with the sounds of breaking strings crying out forever etched in my mind. Bluegrass lovers got behind Byron and helped he and his wife Bette to rebuild.

The Berline’s purchased a store front within a block of their original location, and so the second stage began for Byron’s Fiddle Shop.  People continued to come from near and far to jam with Berline, to listen to his endless stories of life on the road, and to feel the presence of the greatest fiddler ever. And, of course, to look over his terrific stock of fiddles and mandolins for sale.

However, only three years after the loss of the original shop, the bluegrass world was shaken by the untimely death of Byron Berline on July 10, 2021. Bette and their daughter, Becca, stepped up to the plate and continued to keep the brick and mortar shop open. 

 But Bette Berline shared with me this morning that this is changing at the end of this year

“Byron is no longer here, and it’s not the same. People came to see him, not us. The building is up for sale. There will be no changes to the business except for the physical location, and operating by appointment only.

Byron’s Fiddle shop will no longer offer live shows after December 2024. The end of the era was with Byron, and the building closure is a new way of life.”

I spoke with Cowboy Jim Garling about the change, who shared the following: “If it weren’t for Byron Berline, I wouldn’t be Cowboy Jim Garling.” Garling had worked for Byron in the old shop as an instructor for 10 years, with an average of 50 students. “Byron and John Hickman had always done a show for Beck Implements around Christmas time, and one year they couldn’t make it, and Byron gave me his gig.” Chuckling, Garling said, “Byron always said, you better watch old Jim, he will steal your gig.”

Berline’s grandchildren, whose ages vary from nine to almost fifteen years old, have become extremely active in sporting events, and family time has become of the essence. Becca shared with me not too long ago, that she would often drive over an hour twice a day to make practices and games, and of course Bette was doing her part too.  

After these last four music shows at Byron’s Music Hall, no more will be scheduled.

  • October 26 – Cowboy Jim Garling, Richard Sharp and Henry Burgess
  • November 16 – The Hunt Brothers Band
  • December 7 – Guthrie’s Victorian Walk evening and Cowboy Jim Garling
  • December 14 -Guthrie’s Victorian Walk evening and The Hunt Brothers Band

By offering personalized consultations by appointment, Becca and Bette believe that they can foster a sense of loyalty and exclusivity among their clientele. Building strong relationships with customers can lead to positive word-of-mouth referrals, and long-term brand advocacy. To drive future growth through appointment-only business, the Fiddle Shop can explore expanding their service offerings to cater to a broader range of customer needs.

Bette wants to make clear to everyone that the Berlines are not quitting, just changing with the times, and making themselves available on a scheduled basis.

Prioritizing flexibility, creativity, and customer satisfaction, Byron’s Double Stop Fiddle Shop can successfully navigate change, and position themselves for long-term success in this new business environment. Embracing the appointment-only model and focusing on personalized customer experiences, the Shop is poised for continued success in its operations.

Through lessons learned and insights gained from this transition, Berline’s Double Stop sets an inspiring example for small businesses seeking to adapt and thrive in evolving market landscapes, and amid rising costs.

The Berlines can be reached through the shop’s Facebook page.

Byron Berline’s Fiddle Shop lives on

February 21, 2019 was the day a tossed cigarette struck a blaze that burned a major historical part of noted bluegrass fiddler Byron Berline’s life. His beloved Double Stop Fiddle Shop and Concert Hall in Guthrie, OK had been destroyed by a fire that started next door, and devoured the building he had occupied since 1995 and made into a major part of the town’s musical community.

But even such a tragedy didn’t keep Berline down. Colin O’Connor, his son-in-law, had been the savior of Byron’s personal fiddle and mandolin that fateful day. O’Connor was working in the shop that morning, and without hesitation, grabbed the dearest material things to Berline, his mandolin and fiddle. Although devastated that his musical life had gone up in flames, Byron was determined to keep his dream alive.

The Berlines purchased a new building within a block of the old Double Stop Fiddle Shop and his vision continued. Byron could be found in the shop each day, jamming with others, talking about golf, and sharing timely adventures from his musical career. Tragedy struck again for the Berline family when Byron passed away on July 10, 2021. One might have seen this as the end of the Double Stop Fiddle Shop, but Becca, Byron and Bette’s daughter, stepped up to the plate. Becca, her mother, Bette, and Becca’s husband, Colin, can still be found manning the shop.

Colin is a luthier by trade, and was trained by what many say are the best, Byron Berline and John Hickman, Byron’s original partner who died in May of last year. Hickman was a critically-acclaimed banjo player from Columbus, OH. He started playing the banjo at the age of 13, and rose to international prominence.

In 1969, John moved to California, and began performing together with Byron and guitarist Dan Crary. His signature album, Don’t Mean Maybe, was released in 1978. Banjoist Jonathan Hunt, who helps run the bimonthly concerts at the Fiddle Shop, says, “Hickman was a genius player. He took me to higher level of banjo playing.”

O’Connor hungered to learn more about instruments, and spending hour upon hour with Berline and Hickman provided the learning experience Colin needed to become one of the most talented luthiers in the state of Oklahoma. Colin offers on-site repairs and takes pride in creating work worthy of Berline and Hickman.   

Bette and Becca are still fully involved at Byron’s Fiddle Shop. Entertainment is offered every other week, hosted by The Hunt Brothers Band. In December 2021, the Byron Berline Band dismantled, in which the brothers had been members. The Hunt Brothers were honored to be offered the opportunity to keep Byron’s desire to provide music in Guthrie alive.

While season tickets are no longer offered for Fiddle Shop concerts, the door charge is still $15. Reservations can be made by calling the shop at 405-282-6646. The Oklahoma International Bluegrass Festival, with which Byron was intimately involved for so many years, continues on as well, scheduled this year from October 6-8.

Becca’s four children are on the sidelines preparing for the future when they too will play a huge part in their Grandpa’s dream. They are currently taking lessons from The Hunts.  

When I visited Byron’s Fiddle Shop recently, there was a huge gaping hole when I opened the door, with no familiar “Hello!” from Byron, or the opportunity to hear another story of yesteryear. However, there was a jam session in the adjoining room. As I walked in you could hear the tuning of multiple instruments, and I passed by mementos that the Berline family had been given after the devastating fire, with portraits that had been painted of the one and only Byron.

After the jam session, I spoke with several of the talented musicians about how it felt to play where Byron had once held forth, and yet now was marked by his absence. Fiddler Amy Lavicky had purchased a Schweitzer fiddle from the Tex Logan Collection here right before the fire. She recalled, “Byron chose three fiddles for me. He kept going back to the first one. He never swayed me by telling me a story about the Tex Logan fiddle. Byron waited until I made the decision which one I wanted. I now call my fiddle, ‘Tex.'” As Byron helped her select it, and she personally saved one instrument from perishing during the fire, she remarked, “Everyone in the bluegrass world is saddened by the loss of Byron Berline, but Byron would want his legacy and his dream to continue.”

And so it has.

BBB & Legacy Grass keep Byron Berline’s music alive

This story is a contribution from Tom Dunning, a photographer based in Edmond Oklahoma who enjoys music, especially bluegrass and roots music. He is a former newspaper reporter and communications director with a journalism degree from the University of Oklahoma. Now retired, he spends his time photographing musicians, festivals and sports. 

Byron Berline’s death in July 2021, left a bass fiddle sized hole in the Oklahoma music community that will never be filled. His legacy lives on through his recordings and memories of live performances. But, perhaps his greatest musical contribution is his influence on younger musicians he played with on stage and in jams all over the world. Alison Krauss, Mark O’Connor, and members of Nickel Creek are among the first generation of musicians who learned from Byron as youths. From his move to Oklahoma in the 1990s until his passing, several young Oklahoma musicians learned from Byron, jammed with him at his shop, and shared the stage with him. 

In Guthrie Oklahoma, Byron hosted musicians at weekly Saturday jams at his shop as locals, bandmates and passers by gathered to play music and learn from each other. These could have just been a showcase for the world-renowned fiddler’s talents, and that would have been fine. Byron’s talent was obvious and pickers and listeners knew they were hearing a legend. Toes tapped and heads bobbed.

But those jams were more than a Byron Berline showcase. The jams were a place where musicians of any level could join in and have fun and maybe pick up a tip or two. 

Three musicians who benefitted from Byron’s experience have joined remaining Berline bandmates to form BBB and Legacy Grass, BBB being the abbreviation for the Byron Berline Band. The band’s mix of young and not-so-young musicians continue performing the fiddle shop shows, and play around the Oklahoma area, recently doing gigs at the Walnut Valley Music Festival in Winfield, Kansas and the  Oklahoma International Music Festival in Guthrie, Byron and his wife Bette’s home town. The band plays a mix of bluegrass, western swing, blues, and red dirt music They perform Byron’s tunes and standards with each band member adding their own touch on breaks.

Andrew Hunt, Jonathan Hunt, and Henry Burgess comprise the “legacy” part of the band joining the remaining members, Greg Burgess on fiddle and guitar, Richard Sharp on bass, Thomas Trap on guitar, and Billy Perry on banjo and resonator guitar. These veteran members have more than 150 years of playing experience, and most-recently shared the stage with musicians like Vince Gill, The Turnpike Troubadours, and Larry Gatlin. Sharp and Burgess each have more than 20 years experience in the band while Trapp and Perry have been members from around 10 years.

Brothers Andrew and Jonathan practically grew up at the fiddle shop learning from Byron and his band members, especially the late John Hickman, Byron’s longtime banjo player who also passed away in 2021. Jonathan, who primarily plays banjo in the band learned how to build and maintain banjos from Hickman. Jonathan plays a banjo he built after studying with Hickman.

“Pretty much the first day I heard Byron play in person, I thought he was the greatest fiddle player who ever lived,” Andrew Hunt said. “I really tried to emulate his style.” He said Byron provided them with the chance to be around other musicians and learn.

Both had regularly played the stage at Byron’s fiddle shop shows since they were children, as part of the Hunt Family Band with their parents. Byron’s influence was so great that both brothers and their wives returned to Oklahoma after living out of state for much of their high school and college years. Andrew lives in Guthrie and Jonathan lives in Stillwater, about 30 miles away. 

“He was just amazing at giving people opportunities, especially for my brother and me. He gave us opportunities we would have never had before. He asked us to play at his festival (the Oklahoma International Bluegrass Festival) when we were very young,” Andrew said. “He said ‘I’m going to give you a set and artist badge and you can come and be around us,’ because he knew that being in that environment is how you get kids off the ground with music.”

All three legacy members say Byron’s kindness and willingness to play with them were the greatest gifts he gave them. Byron gave them an open invitation to jam with him at his fiddle shop any time. He was also willing to share his experiences and humorous stories from his career with the legacy members, leaving them with fond memories. 

“It’s not so much Byron sat down and said ‘play these notes,’ It was just that he paved the way for us and other people throughout his lifetime. That’s just who he was,” Andrew said. We played a show at his shop, just a guest slot, when my brother was 9 and I was about 12. That first night, he took his mandolin and gave it to me and he wasn’t worried about his instrument. That’s just who he was.”

Henry Byron Burgess, Byron’s namesake who plays mandolin, is the youngest member of the band. The high school freshman is Greg Burgess’ son who also spent much of his life hanging out with Byron and the band. But, in 2020 when his school transitioned to remote learning due to COVID-19, daily trips from his home in nearby Edmond, Ok to Guthrie to pick with Byron enhanced his ability. Henry also says his interest in the mandolin accelerated after he saw Byron retrieve a 1923 Gibson Lloyd Loar from his safe after a fire destroyed the fiddle shop and most of its contents in early 2019. But Henry credits his time with Byron for turning him into a stage-ready picker. Henry now plays a mandolin Byron gave him, not the Loar, but one Byron regularly performed with

“To get to spend even a day with him was great, but then I got to spend a year and a half practically every day with him learning, playing all of his tunes, getting to hear things nobody else gets to hear, just watching him write a new tune every day it was amazing, and if I had not gotten to do that, I would not be nearly where I am as a player today,” Henry Burgess said.

And, he’s already developed into a talented picker. Henry recently shared the stage with John Moore, who he cites as one of his “mandolin heroes.” Moore was Byron’s bandmate in the band California with John Hickman, Steve Spurgin and Dan Crary. 

“Byron really cared about passing the music along,” Andrew said. Through his own records and session work Byron Berline’s music will be celebrated worldwide. But, his kindness and acceptance of other musicians, regardless of ability, are his real legacy. 

The BBB & Legacy Grass perform regularly at the Double Stop Fiddle Shop in Guthrie, Oklahoma. More information can be found at their web site or on Facebook.

Reflection on Byron Berline from Jack Tottle

Byron was one lovely, friendly, and articulate guy. He was among the most tasteful, talented, and solid fiddle players ever. 

It would be hard to think of another bluegrass musician who performed and recorded in more diverse situations. The list is mind boggling. A few examples: The Rolling Stones’ Country Honk, the Star Trek movie, The Dillards, The Flying Burrito Brothers, Bob Dylan, Elton John, Rod Stewart, and bands he founded like Country Gazette, Berline, Crary & Hickman or BCH (later called California), and Sundance. 

He played in numerous movies, notably Blaze with Paul Newman, Basic Instinct with Michael Douglas, and many more. Byron even taught Arnold Schwarzenegger how to look like he could play the fiddle while portraying an old-time musician in the movie, Stay Hungry, with Jeff Bridges and Sally Fields. 

“How was Arnold as a student?” I asked him once. “Oh, he was real good,” said Byron. “I mean, he could [have] actually learned to play Boil ‘Em Cabbage Down, if he kept at it. He could do the shuffle.” When it came time to shoot the scene, Byron explained, “I just took all the rosin off [his] bow. He could play all he wanted, but no sound came out. I did all the fiddling, but it looked like he did it.” (Not unlike Dan Tyminski’s feat of becoming the singing voice of George Clooney many years later in O Brother, Where Art Thou) 

For more than five decades now bluegrass players have enjoyed one of Byron’s earliest musical efforts. It’s from his lone recording session with Bill Monroe during his brief stint as a member of the Blue Grass Boys in 1967. If you play bluegrass at any level, you’re likely to be familiar with the jam session favorite, Gold Rush. 

“Did you actually write Gold Rush?” I asked. “Well, I helped Bill with it,” Byron replied. “He had the initial idea, and we sat on the bus and worked [the rest of it] up. He’s very particular [about] the melody.” What Byron wrote is the chorus or second part. Byron was quietly proud—in his typical low-key way—of the fact that he had a live performance tape where Monroe said, “Now that part he puts in there is real pretty I think.”

“There’s actually a third part at the end …where we go out of the tune,” Byron continued… instead of ending it the regular way. So that’s definitely my part [too].”

Music was not the only area in which Byron excelled. Upon leaving Monroe, he was stationed at Fort Polk, Louisiana as a draftee. He endeared himself to the base’s top brass when he and a team of soldiers Byron helped put together won the Fourth Army Track Meet—a major feather in the cap for the fort. Byron himself won both the shot put and the javelin throw. He felt this episode kept him from being shipped to a combat unit in Vietnam. 

How many in the bluegrass community could match his musical achievements plus his athletic prowess while maintaining the affable personality that touched so many of us from the stage and in person? 

Thanks, Byron, for everything! 

Byron Berline memorial service details

Much celebrated fiddle player Byron Berline passed away on Saturday, July 10, 2021, as his band was going on stage at his Guthrie Music Hall. 

His memorial service will be held on Tuesday, July 20, 2021, at 10:00 a.m. at the First United Presbyterian Church in Guthrie, OK with Pastor Amy Rogers officiating. Services are under the direction of Hayes Funeral Home.

Attendance is limited, but there will be a live stream set up in the Fellowship Hall, adjacent to the main building, and at Hayes Funeral Home (across the street) to provide additional seating.

You may also view the service through the church’s Facebook page. 

There will be the opportunity to honor Berline’s life and legacy at the Oklahoma International Bluegrass Festival in October, later this year.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Oklahoma International Bluegrass Festival Scholarship Fund.

RIP Byron Berline, fiddler who seemed larger than life

Sometimes we bid farewell to incredibly gifted musicians, once-in-a-generation talents who leave an indelible imprint on our music.

And sometimes, we say goodbye to incredibly kind and loving people, who leave an indelible imprint on our hearts.

Byron Berline, who died Saturday at 77 — just four days after his birthday — was both of those. His resume, his kindness, and his talent made him seem larger than life. That makes his passing, after a short hospitalization, sting even more. Berline had suffered a stroke a few weeks ago, and while in recovery, encountered a number of complications which weakened his heart and lungs to the point that he slipped away on Saturday evening.

Anecdotes and first-hand stories poured in late Saturday and all day Sunday, from well known musicians and casual fans alike.

“He was the quintessential bluegrass gentleman, superb musician, wonderful human being, and hero to so many bluegrass musicians and fans,” said bandleader Greg Cahill of Special Consensus.

We like to claim Berline for bluegrass, and indeed his bluegrass resume alone would make him one of the greatest fiddlers we’ve known. He played, briefly, with Bill Monroe and The Blue Grass Boys, and had stints with the Dillards, Dillard and Clark, and others before co-founding Country Gazette, one of the most powerful instrumental bands to grace bluegrass stages. With him on stage, his later group, California, won three straight instrumental band of the year awards from the International Bluegrass Music Association. He later toured with his own band.

Berline was a walking encyclopedia of fiddle tunes, some that he learned, some, like Huckleberry Hornpipe that he wrote, all that he mastered and passed along to new generations of bluegrass and old time performers. Along the way, he won the national fiddling championship three times, was elected to the National Fiddlers Hall of Fame, and received a Distinguished Achievement Award from IBMA in 2012.

Berline will one day join the Bluegrass Hall of Fame. Alas, that honor was not bestowed while he was alive to enjoy it.

But those are merely his bluegrass accomplishments. As banjo player and bluegrass DJ Ned Luberecki put it, “Byron had the greatest and most diverse musical resume one could imagine.”

He played with household-name performers in other genres, including Gram Parsons and the Flying Burrito Brothers, Bob Dylan, members of the Byrds, and the Rolling Stones. Check out his sidewalk fiddle work, complete with blaring car horn, on Country Tonk on the Let It Bleed album. The song will sound familiar to even casual Stones fans. A later arrangement, with a new title, Honky Tonk Woman, became a hit.

But all of that still only gives your part of the story. He also popped up in movies, including The Rose, starring Bette Midler, Stay Hungry, starring Arnold Schwarzenegger and Junior Bonner, featuring Steve McQueen. His resume includes television roles as well, including a brief, fiddle-playing appearance in a first-season episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation in 1987. That episode, fittingly, was titled, Where No One Has Gone Before.

Berline continued to tour, including a few post-COVID shows in support of his three-CD homage to fiddle tunes that came out earlier this year. Those recordings were set to come out a few years back, but were delayed by life-altering events. First, on February 29, 2019, a devastating fire destroyed Double Stop, his pride and joy music shop in Guthrie, OK. Bent but not broken, Berline and his wife, Bette, opened a new shop across the street. Then, of course, came COVID and the temporary halt to all things music.

Through it all, Berline kept up his cheerful demeanor. He wasn’t Byron Berline, superstar. He was a guy who enjoyed making music and always — always — taking a minute for someone with a question or a request for a photo.

Among the many stories being told today about Berline, one of my favorites comes from my friend and songwriting partner, Gordon Roberts. Roberts supplied strings for Berline’s Double Stop shop, and could have become just another voice on the end of the phone. But Berline knew Roberts played guitar, and when they would meet in person at fiddle events or music conferences, they’d end up picking for hours in a hotel room, with a bunch of aspiring young fiddle kids crowding in, soaking up some wisdom and enjoying breathing the same air as a master.

Many of stories about Berline’s life can be found in A Fiddler’s Diary, in which he teamed up with Jane Frost. The entertaining book was published in 2013.

Berline would blush at many of these memories and characterizations. But he is worthy of the memories and all the accolades that will be thrown at him in the coming days.

Long ago, a journalism professional warned me against using the word unique. No one and no thing is unique, he said. But I think that’s the perfect word to describe someone who repeatedly went “Where No One Has Gone Before.”

RIP, Byron Berline.

Americana Fest at the American Banjo Museum

This Saturday, June 27, the American Banjo Museum will host their 5th annual Americana Fest in Oklahoma City. But owing to social distancing requirements, this year’s fest will be a virtual, online-only event featuring Oklahoma area entertainers.

Johnny Baier, executive director of the Museum, says that they have decided to make this a free, all-day concert, inviting lovers of the banjo to enjoy the many varieties of music it can create with them online.

“Although we will miss the personal interaction, the music and heart of Americana Fest remains intact, vibrant, and accessible to a much larger audience than we could hope to accommodate in person.”

Baier will be among the featured performers on Saturday, along with The Byron Berline Band, Sinner Friends, and others. Music will begin at 11:00 a.m. (CDT), and run until 5:00. Door prizes will be given throughout the day, to be mailed to recipients, with instructions on how to enter given at the beginning of the program.

Viewers will enjoy many flavors of banjo music, on both four and five string banjo, including jazz, bluegrass, old time, comedic, and western.

A complete schedule follows:

  • 11-11:50- Wayne Cantwell
  • 12:00 am-12:50 pm – Grace and Aaron
  • 1:00pm- 1:50 pm– Lucas Ross
  • 2:00 pm-2:50 pm – Byron Berline
  • 3:00 pm- 3:50 pm – Sinner Friends
  • 4:00-4:50 pm – Johnny Baier

To watch online, simply visit the ABM website, their Facebook page, or their YouTube channel.

Danielle Szabo – the last soul lives on

Let me take you on a trip. A trip to Guthrie, to Byron Berline’s Double Stop Fiddle Shop, which burned February 23, 2019. The devastation hit the fiddle community with full force, much like an F5 tornado, leaving everything in cinders and ash. As we all know, there were a few treasures saved from the fire, such as his Loar mandolin, and several other items. Fans, the state of Oklahoma, and the nation all stepped up to assist Byron in his loss, and he has reopened in a new location a short distance away.

But the soul of the original Fiddle Shop still lives on and is played daily. However, I found a professional violinist who purchased that “the last soul,” and recently gathered a little more detail from the new owner and from Byron.

The hunt actually began in 2018 for Danielle Szabo when she first drove into Guthrie to scour the Double Stop Fiddle Shop for her perfect instrument. After many trips, Danielle went back on February 22, 2019. Szabo, a violin instructor and Oklahoma City University graduate, told us, “Money was an issue, as I was paying for my soon to be wedding.”

That Friday, Danielle made one more stop to search for her violin. Berline was familiar with Szabo by this time, and knew exactly what she was looking for. Byron walked into the backroom, and came back out carrying an instrument he had pulled from the glass counter. This “fine lady” was covered in dust, and as Byron took a deep breath and blew the dust off the strings, he gracefully handed this “last soul” over to Szabo.

Berline reminisced with me… “I had this fiddle in the back. It had been there quite a while, with no interest. Danielle had been in several times, and we just couldn’t find the perfect fit. I thought of this one, and I blew the dust off of it.” From the moment that Danielle placed her hands around the neck of the instrument, she quickly fell in love, as the shape of the violin was very feminine in its curves. However; there was no turning back once she took the bow and heard the sweetest sounds. She knew THIS was it, the violin that she had been searching for.

But there was still an obstacle, the money. As she handed the violin back to Berline while her heart hungered for it be hers, she said, “After the wedding, I will come back and get it.” The next few moments were like a dream come true. Berline took the violin, gently placing it in the case, “Take it with you. You can pay me whenever you can.” In a rare, once in a lifetime moment, Danielle Szabo walked out of the Double Stop Fiddle Shop that Friday violin in hand, and a mere 24 hours later the Shop lay in ashes in the little Victorian town of Guthrie, OK.

Szabo can be heard on stage with the Oklahoma Virtuosi Chamber Orchestra where she is a violinist. She is also a violin instructor who shows the versatility in her playing by expertly switching genres with Clifftop, an Americana/bluegrass crossover band, and an all girl bluegrass band as well.

At Oklahoma International Bluegrass Festival, Szabo could be found in a circle jam every evening. Sharing her talents, not only as a virtuoso violinist, but as an outstanding vocalist. This is one young lady every music lover needs to keep in their sight. I had known about this secret of her playing the unpaid-for violin, and at her request, I held back from writing. Now that the receipt is in hand, I can say, While the Double Stop Fiddle Shop now has a new home (just down the block), the last old soul from the original store continues to bless all with the extraordinary sounds it exemplifies.

Byron Berline’s Oklahoma International Bluegrass Festival 2019

Just when the leaves start to fall and the air has a little chill to it, the Oklahoma International Bluegrass Festival (OIBF) arrives in Guthrie, OK. It begins the first weekend of October with family, feasts, and bluegrass music. For the next three days, hearts warm with the resonance of outstanding music (which can be found on three stages), new friendships are made, and old friends gather to embrace one another with “You haven’t changed a bit.”

Since 1996, OIBF has been bringing great bluegrass, traditional country, western swing, Americana, and other sounds to the Victorian city of Guthrie. Cottonwood Flats becomes the temporary home to campers, all night jam sessions, and the greatest talents our music has to offer.

The weekend gala of 2019 kicked off with the Oklahoma-based band, The Red Dirt Rangers, who hung their shingle in the 1980s and have become a staple at festivals throughout the United States ever since. John M. Cooper, Ben Han, and Brad Piccolo play an integral part in the brotherhood of music, and are the founders of the Red Dirt Relief Fund. After a near death experience in a helicopter crash, as medical bills were rising, Cooper, Han, and Piccolo decided that there was a need to help other musicians. As the old saying goes, “Musicians don’t have insurance, they host benefits.” The Red Dirt Rangers, and other musicians and fans, began the Red Dirt Relief Fund (gaining their 501C3 status in 2012).  It is an organization that helps music people that reside in Oklahoma in times of need. Today any person who has a minimum of 5 years experience in the music industry is eligible to apply for assistance. Each year the Rangers have always taken the Children’s Stage in hand as the opening act. They include sing-alongs, and children’s songs, and make the energy soar to new heights.

Events on the main stage were emceed by Cowboy Jim Garling and Ron Mashore. Both emcees also were part of the entertainment as well. Garling represents western swing, country, and traditional cowboy music. But often one can catch Cowboy Jim jamming with Byron Berline. At the 2019 OIBF, Garling took center stage with the Byron Berline Band and sang as the guys kept perfect rhythm. Also, performing with Cowboy Jim was his sidekick, Susanne Wooley. Wooley also hails from Oklahoma where she teaches violin as well as works on her family’s ranch.

Other artists who performed on Day 1 (Landrun Stage) were: 

Throughout the day there was an Open Mic on the Cottonwood Creek Stage,which is in the campground.

Day 2 Performances (Landrun Stage):

While I could write plenty more about the weekend of festivities, I have to stop  a moment and share the special excitement on Friday night. Michael Cleveland took the stage, and when his bow hit the fiddle, jaws dropped. Michael hailed Byron to the stage to play Sally Goodin, and the campgrounds grew suddenly quiet, as the two broke it down. Cleveland played with the fierceness he is known for as he and Berline played “chase” throughout the tune.

Day 3

On the campground stage, there wasn’t a hay bale empty for the songwriting workshop which was led by Carter Sampson and Joe Mack. Sampson, an Okie by birth – with one of the biggest voices one will hear – has a talent of taking true stories she has been told and writing them into memorable songs, such as Rattlesnake Kate or Ten Penny Nail. Sampson hosts Oklahoma Rock and Roll Camp for Girlsand tells us, “I think it’s really important that the girls see female drummers, that they see women playing bass, and playing loud instruments and carrying heavy equipment.”

Joe Mack is well known in the Midwest for his talents as a storyteller. Also, an Oklahoma native, Mack has been performing and writing music for the majority of his life. He blends all of his favorite genres of music in his own style. Critics have compared him to Keller William as a writer, and Leo Kottke for his orchestral approach to the six-string.

Meanwhile under the Youth Tent things were abuzz as the youth competition kicked off for 2019. On Thursday and Friday, there had been activities planned as hundreds of children were bussed in to experience bluegrass music. Those performing on Thursday and Friday were The Red Dirt Rangers, The Hunt Family Band, 1 More Road, and  Pearlgrace & Co. However, Saturday brought a new vibe to the big white tent. Children, family bands, music lovers, and spectators alike sat quietly in the metal chairs, as the rain fell against the sides of the tent. Five family bands took to the competition stage, knowing only one could be the winner.

Berline allows youngsters to compete in mandolin, banjo, fiddle, and guitar, this year there was a dobro competition as well. Every year, Byron awards talented young musicians scholarship awards. One must apply by April 1, and provide a video, playing a traditional acoustic instrument. The applicant must be sponsored by an adult artist or teacher, with a letter of recommendation. Named for Mike Clark, a dedicated banjo player and co-founder of the OIBF festival, in 2018 the scholarship awarded nearly $9,000.

Meanwhile on the Landrun Stage, crowds were entertained by The Hunt Family bluegrass, Kenny & Amanda Smith, Jacob Tovar, Dave Adkins Band, Blue Side of Lonesome, The Cherokee Maidens, Byron Berline Band, and Michael Cleveland & Flamekeeper. The final performance of the night was a Fiddle Frolic, as ALL fiddler’s that were involved throughout the festival took the microphone and were recognized.

The logo for 2019’s program and tee shirts was one that  reminded each of the attendees of the struggles that Byron has experienced this year. Using the Oklahoma state bird, the scissortail, artist, Jette Summers, took the devastation of the fire that destroyed his Double Stop Fiddle Shop, and made the fiddle rise out of the ashes. The original artwork was sold at the annual auction with all proceeds going back into the scholarship fund.

BRAVO! Byron Berline, you DID IT AGAIN!

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