Tag: Herschel Sizemore

Funeral arrangements for Herschel Sizemore

Details of services for master mandolin stylist Herschel Sizemore, who passed away on September 9, 2022, of congestive heart failure, have been published.

The family will receive friends from 6:00 – 9:00 p.m. on Wednesday September 14, 2022, at Simpson Funeral Home on Peters Creek Road in Roanoke, VA.

Funeral services will be conducted at 2:00 p.m. on Thursday, September 15, 2022, at the Simpson Funeral Home by Pastor Andy Woods. Interment will follow in the Blue Ridge Memorial Gardens on Airport Road in Roanoke.  

In lieu of flowers the family suggests that memorials be made to Gentle Shepherd Hospice, which provided excellent care during his illness.

6045 Peters Creek Road NW
Roanoke, Virginia 24019

Herschel Sizemore passes 

Mandolin maestro Herschel Sizemore passed away on Friday morning, September 9, 2022 at his home in Roanoke, VA. He was 87 years of age. 

Herschel Lee Sizemore was born on August 6, 1935, in Sheffield (near Muscle Shoals), Alabama, and raised in the more rural community of Leighton. 

His mother was a very good self-taught guitarist in a style that, while likened to that of Mother Maybelle Carter, actually preceded it. 

While the family listened to a battery-operated radio, there was nothing on the Grand Ole Opry that captured Sizemore’s attention until he heard Bill Monroe. He was drawn even further towards the mandolin when he was age eight and his parents took him to see a performance by Monroe at the Grand Ole Opry. 

At about the same time he began playing a mandolin that his brother, Ross, then in the army, sent home. After learning some chords, Sizemore started playing with old-time fiddler Hugh McCormick, who along with Sizemore’s mother were his earliest musical influences. 

When he was 14 years of age, he got his first paying musical job, playing at area schools and square-dances with Ned Campbell & the Sunnyside Playboys.   

After about three years he got his break as a professional, linking up with Rual Yarbrough, Linden Smith, Billy Sizemore, and Edison Dooley to form the Tennessee Valley Playboys. After about six months they altered the name to the Country Gentlemen, though that was quickly changed to the Dixie Gentlemen when they learned of the Washington DC-based band of the same name.   

Jake Landers replaced Smith, and during the next few years they established a good following through their personal appearances as they toured the south-eastern states, and were featured on both local radio and television stations.

Using the name The Blue Ridge Mountain Boys, the trio recorded two LPs for Time before establishing their credentials more firmly as The Dixie Gentlemen, with a release by major label United Artists. 

Ironically, the band disbanded just two years later, and Sizemore and Yarbrough worked for Bobby Smith & the Boys from Shiloh, who in this audio clip appeared in concert on the same bill as Bill Monroe. 

Yesterday’s Gone (c. 1965) – Bobby Smith & the Boys from Shiloh 

(in concert; thought to be at The Bluegrass Cellar, Nashville, Tennessee)

For two years (from 1967 through to 1969) Sizemore worked with Jimmy Martin & the Sunny Mountain Boys, enjoying what Sizemore is cited as saying that it was “two of his musical best.” The two remained friends until the later passed away often spending leisure time together. 

Herschel became good friends with Lester Flatt, and ofter traveled with Flatt & Scruggs on their bus. In fact, when Curly Seckler left the band, Sizemore was offered the job, but turned it down as his wife, Joyce, had just learned that she was pregnant with their first child.

He and Bill Monroe were also on friendly terms, with Herschel believing that the reason Monroe respected him was because he took a different direction on the instrument, and didn’t copy his style.

In April 1969 Sizemore moved from Alabama to Roanoke, Virginia, and joined the Shenandoah Cut-Ups (with Jim Eanes on guitar, Clarence ‘Tater’ Tate on fiddle, Billy Edwards on banjo, and John Palmer on bass). It was a very busy period for Sizemore with many festival dates, as they toured in what used to be Red Smiley’s bus. One of their first gigs was working on the Wheeling Jamboree. 

During a five-year spell they recorded a clutch of albums for Revonah and Rebel. The Shenandoah Cut-Ups also recorded an LP for County with Curly Seckler, and for a while they promoted this with many festival appearances together. 

The Shenandoah Cut-Ups – Are You Washed In The Blood 

Live at Renfro Valley, 1971

Interspersed with those was a release by The Country Grass, effectively Sizemore’s own band. This group stayed together for only two years, as a revolving door of personnel changes and Sizemore taking up a full-time job at Purolator Courier, with whom he was already working part-time. 

Although he did keep his hand in, musically, as his off-duty time allowed, Sizemore soon yearned to return to playing full-time and following a session for R. C. Harris that also involved Bobby Hicks and Del McCoury he joined the Dixie Pals. 

This association also lasted two years; the highlight for the band that also consisted of a stellar combination of Jerry McCoury (bass), Sonny Miller (fiddle), and Dick Smith (banjo) was a late 1979 tour of Japan. 

Del McCoury’s Dixie Pals – December 1979, Japan 

Strictly Bluegrass Live [1981] – Del McCoury & The Dixie Pals 

While with McCoury, Sizemore recorded his ground-breaking album, Bounce Away, which announced him as a, if not the, leading light for young mandolin pickers of the day, and showed a different way of playing the instrument from that demonstrated by Bill Monroe. This saw him using open strings and first/second positions on the instrument fretboard, in the manner of Texas fiddlers.

Among the four Sizemore originals is the challenging tune Rebecca, named for his mother.  

Hershel Sizemore and mandolin ensemble – Rebecca 

 

…live at Ash Lawn Highland, Charlottesville, VA – 5/15/16 

Herschel Sizemore talks about the classic Rebecca perhaps the most popular mandolin contest song on the fiddler’s convention circuit …… 

  

Bounce Away – Hershel Sizemore 

John Lawless wrote in November 2018 ….. 

“Herschel is also credited with what pickers call the Sizemore roll, a technique he uses to note a pause in a vocal melody when played on the mandolin, much like the way a banjo would use a forward roll in such a spot. He employs a cross-picking pattern across several strings while holding a chord in place to keep the 8th note rhythm going on the mandolin, without emphasizing any melody notes.”

In 1980 Sizemore took another break from performing regularly, which lasted until just after he retired, when he jumped at the chance to work with old friends Don and David Parmley, whom he had known since 1976, and he joined The Bluegrass Cardinals. 

Bluegrass Cardinals – Mountain Girl (1996) 

Mountain Girl is the last album released by the Bluegrass Cardinals on their independent label.

During his four-year tenure with the band Sizemore recorded his second solo album, the aptly titled Back In Business, which included a re-recording of Rebecca among the three original tunes. The collection including Sizemore singing tenor on some songs.  

Shortly afterwards he formed the Herschel Sizemore Band with a solid attempt to establish himself as a bandleader. 

During the first decade of the 21st century he released two further albums of his own, My Style and B-Natural – a self-produced project with 12 new Sizemore compositions – and worked on one by John Lawless and three with Curly Seckler.

For about five years from November 2002, he co-presented the three-day Roanoke Bluegrass Weekend, an instructional event for bluegrass instruments. Always willing to share his knowledge with others and nurture fresh talent, his unique and influential style was featured in both a transcription book and instructional DVD from AcuTab, and he was invited to serve as an instructor at the most prestigious mandolin seminars in the country.

In October 2011 he was diagnosed as having cancer in his tonsil. In February of the following year a host of bluegrass artists assembled for a benefit concert for him and his wife, also undergoing treatment for cancer, in Roanoke, Virginia.  

What was initially to feature just two or three bands became an all-day event with about a dozen bands, including the Punch Brothers, Alan Bibey, The Travelers, Acoustic Endeavours, Ronnie Reno, and the Seldom Scene.

Despite a lay-off of several months while he underwent treatment Sizemore played in a few settings, such as in this re-constituted version of Del McCoury & the Dixie Pals with Jerry McCoury and Dick Smith.

A DVD, Herschel Sizemore: Mandolin in B: A Tribute to a Bluegrass Legend, produced by Rick Bowman and Bill Perrine, was released in August 2013. It’s a lasting and fitting tribute to one of greatest mandolin players of our time.

His close friend and fellow mandolinist Alan Bibey had a chance to visit with Sizemore just a few days before he passed. He recalled their visit fondly, saying they played, talked, and laughed for several hours. Alan said that Herschel was very special to him.

“Herschel was a hero first, mentor second (even if he didn’t know it), and last but most importantly he was my best buddy. One of the greatest mandolin players in the history of our music and just as great of a person. That’s saying something. Until we meet again ol’ buddy.”

2018 was a significant year for him inasmuch as on March 18, he was inducted into the Alabama Hall of Fame and in the following November he had a heart pacemaker fitted.  

R.I.P. Herschel Sizemore 

A Discography

Herschel Sizemore 

  • Bounce Away (County 774, 1979) listed on the album as “Hershel (sic) Sizemore”
  • Back in Business (Hay HollerHHH-CD-105, 1993)
  • My Style (Hay Holler HH-CD-1354, 2000)
  • B-natural (Amandolina, July 2009)

Jake Landers and Herschel Sizemore

  • For Old Times Sake (B Sharp 2013-1, November 18, 2013) The Blue Ridge Mountain Boys (with Rual Yarbrough) – 
  • Hootenanny N’ Blue Grass (Time Records 52083 S/2083, October 1963)
  • Blue Grass Back Home (Time Records 52103 S/52103, November 1963) 
  • Bluegrass With A Beat (BACM [UK] CD D 501, 2015) – compilation 

The Dixie Gentlemen

  • The Country Style of the Dixie Gentlemen (United Artists UAL 3296, 1963)
  • Blues and Bluegrass: with Tut Taylor and Vassar Clements (Tune TRC 1001, February 1967), re-issued on Old Homestead OHS 90024, 1973. 
  • Together Once More (Old Homestead OHS 90020, 1973)
  • Take Me Back To Dixie (Rutabaga RR 3016, 1992) with Vassar Clement,s reissued as part of Today And Yesterday (Old Homestead OHCD-4024, ca 1999)

Shenandoah Valley Quartet

  • Shenandoah Valley Quartet with Jim Eanes (County 726, 1970)

The Shenandoah Cut-Ups

  • Bluegrass Autumn (Revonah R 904, 1971)
  • Plant Grass (In Your Ear) (MRC MRLP 1162, 1971)
  • Curly Seckler Sings Again (County 732, 1971) with the Shenandoah Cut-Ups 
  • The Shenandoah Cutups Sing Gospel (Revonah R 908, May 1973)
  • Shenandoah Cut Ups (Rebel SLP 1526, December 1973)
  • Traditional Bluegrass (Revonah RS 910, 1974)
  • Keep It Bluegrass (Grassound GR SC 22580, 1980)

The Country Grass – his own band 

  • Livin’ Free (Rebel SLP 1532, 1974)

Roby Huffman and the Bluegrass Cutups 

  • Colorado River (Grassound A-105, 1978)

RC Harris and Blue Denim

  • Grass Won’t Grow On A Busy Street (Grassound GR-116, 1978)

Del McCoury and the Dixie Pals

  • Strictly Bluegrass Live (Trio AW-2054 (JAP), September 1981) Also issued on Live In Japan Copper Creek CCCD-0118, 1980)
  • Take Me To the Mountains (Leather LBG-8107, 1981), re-issued by Rebel – REB 1622, 1983) 

Bluegrass Cardinals

  • Mountain Girl (BGC BGC 1006, 1996)

As composer

  • 1971: Jake Landers and Tom McKinney – Present Original Songs and New Banjo Sounds of the 70’s (Tune) – track 11, Bluegrass Minor
  • 1976: Bottle Hill – Light Our Way Along the Highway (Biograph) – track 12, Bluegrass Autumn
  • 1976: The Conner Brothers – The Conner Brothers (County) – track 10, Bluegrass Minor
  • 1981: The Landers Family – Old Folks Don’t Live Here (Old Homestead) – track 4, I Thank God For America Today (co-written with Jake Landers)
  • 1981: Al Wood and the Smokey Ridge Boys – Kentucky Country Home (Rich-R-Tone) – track 1, Kentucky Country Home
  • 1998: Jim Mills – Bound to Ride (Sugar Hill) – track 6, Rebecca

Also appears on…

  • Rual Yarbrough – 5 String Banjo By Rual Yarbrough (Tune TRC-1002, 1968)
  • Jim Eanes – Rural Rhythm Presents Jim Eanes (Rural Rhythm RRJE 221, 1969)
  • Clarence “Tater” Tate – Rural Rhythm Presents Fiddling Clarence “Tater” Tate: More Favorite Waltzes (Rural Rhythm RRCT 220, August 1969)
  • Tim Smith – Favorite Pastimes (Heritage RC 611, 1986)
  • David Parmley – Southern Heritage (Rebel CD 1706, November 22, 1993)
  • Bill Harrell – The Cat Came Back (Rebel REB-CD-1742, March 3, 1998)
  • Lynwood Lunsford – Pick Along (Hay Holler HH-CD-1349, 1999)
  • John Lawless – Five & Dime (Copper Creek CCCD 0224, September 14, 2004)
  • Curly Seckler – Down in Caroline (Copper Creek CCCD 0236, 2005)
  • Curly Seckler – That Old Book of Mine (County CO-CD 2740, October 11, 2005)
  • Curly Seckler – Bluegrass, Don’t You Know (Copper Creek CCCD 0243, 2007)

Music Instruction

  • 2001: Acutab Transcriptions Vol. 1 (Mel Bay) – 70 pages (ISBN 978-0786660797)
  • 2010: Herschel Sizemore: In His Own Style DVD (Mel Bay)

Herschel Sizemore’s 85th birthday party

Herschel Sizemore reacting to his 85th surprise birthday party, and kicking off the jam – photo by Garrett Carter

This past weekend, a group of family, friends, and admirers gathered up on Bent Mountain in southwestern Virginia to celebrate the 85th birthday of bluegrass mandolin legend, Herschel Sizemore. To make it even more fun, it was all a surprise, held at the home of his son, Lee, and Lee’s wife, Vickie, with friends coming from as far as Florida to celebrate this milestone – which also served as a 67th wedding anniversary celebration for Herschel and Joyce Sizemore.

Herschel has been a bluegrass professional since 1957 when he joined The Dixie Gentlemen in northern Alabama where he grew up. His distinctive and highly melodic mandolin style set him apart from Bill Monroe right away, and he went on to play with Jimmy Martin, The Shenandoah Cut-Ups, where he was a founding member, and The Bluegrass Cardinals. His four solo instrumental albums have had mandolinists studying every note since the first, Bounce Away, was released in 1979. His original mandolin tune, Rebecca – written in honor of his mom – is etched into the bluegrass cannon as firmly as any other instrumental in the genre.

Now retired, he and Joyce live in Roanoke, VA.

Herschel was genuinely surprised by the gathering on August 7, and said that he was deeply touched to see that friends traveled from Florida, Georgia, Ohio, North and South Carolina, and northern Virginia to help them celebrate.

Photos were provided by Garrett Carter Photography, Lee and Vickie’s son.

Scott Napier offers another LP “must have” mandolin records giveaway

Scott Napier, professional bluegrass mandolinist and Associate Professor at the Kentucky School of Bluegrass and Traditional Music, is doing another giveaway from his rich collection of bluegrass albums. Back in August, he did this once before, giving away five classic records to young pickers learning the ways of the grass.

This time, Scott is again naming five “must have” albums that every bluegrass mandolinist should know, and offering them to pickers from age ten to twenty years of age as a gift from him. To request one of these classics, simply reach out to him by email, or message him on Facebook, to tell him a bit about yourself, or your child, grandchild, or any young mando student who you think is deserving.

The albums he is offering in this “must have” list are:

  • Jim & Jesse Mandolin Workshop – Jim & Jesse McReynolds
  • Tennessee Dream – Doyle Lawson
  • Bounce Away – Herschel Sizemore
  • Bobby & His Mandolin – Bobby Osborne
  • Master of Bluegrass – Bill Monroe

Scott will accept entries/requests until November 3, as he explains in this video which also features comments from four of the five artists involved.

Hats off to Scott for offering these resources, several of which are no longer available, to young students of the mandolin.

Herschel Sizemore recovering well at home

Herschel Sizemore, a true hero in the bluegrass mandolin world, is back home after a brief hospitalization last week. He had been in hospital to have a pacemaker installed to help regulate his heartbeat.

The Sizemore family says that he already feels much better following the procedure, and is back to his regular routine.

To mandolin historians, Sizemore is seen as one of the first musicians to break away from the Bill Monroe style of soloing primarily in closed positions in the early days of bluegrass. He and Bobby Osborne became prominent for their mandolin playing in roughly the same era of the late 1950s, both using open strings and first/second position on the instrument fretboard, in the manner of a fiddler.

Herschel is also credited with what pickers call the Sizemore roll, a technique he uses to note a pause in a vocal melody when played on the mandolin, much like the way a banjo would use a forward roll in such a spot. He employs a crosspicking pattern across several strings while holding a chord in place to keep the 8th note rhythm going on the mandolin, without emphasizing any melody notes.

He worked throughout the 1960s and ’70s with a number of popular bands, including The Dixie Gentlemen, with Rual Yarborough and Jake Landers, and The Shenandoah Cut Ups. He also spent a short time with Del McCoury and the Dixie Pals. His legacy includes a number of compositions for the mandolin that reside within the canon, perhaps none more than his instrumental, Rebecca, written for his mother.

He left full time music when his first child was born, and even turned down an offer to play with Flatt & Scruggs in the 1960s, remaining close with Lester Flatt until he passed.

Now retired, Herschel is also thought of as one of the most knowledgeable people in our business regarding the Loar F-5 mandolins. Having owned several in his life, he is particularly familiar with their design and construction, and is often sought out by mandolin builders for his expertise.

Sizemore is also a cancer survivor, and at 83 years old, is still ticking like a Timex – at least he is now with his pacemaker! His daughter, Charlotte Bishop, says, “Look out world, Bionic Daddy is ready for many more enjoyable days!!!”

IBMA Film Festival announces attractions

The films to be screened during the debut IBMA Bluegrass Film Festival at the 2014 World of Bluegrass Convention have been announced. Eight different projects will be shown, including a pair of highlight films that were selected for special merit. All have been profiled here at Bluegrass Today and should be at least conceptually familiar to dedicated readers.

The two highlight films are Banjo Romantika by Lee Bidgood, and The Porchlight Sessions from Anna Schwaber, both documentaries. Bidgood’s project, made with Shara Lange, chronicles the development of the bluegrass music scene in Czech Republic, with assistance from East Tennessee State University. Porchlight is more a journey of discovery, where Schwaber travels to a number of bluegrass festivals and speaks with artists about the music’s history, and where it is going.

Both of these films will be screened during the business conference portion of the week, including a Q&A with the filmmakers. They will be shown again during that weekend’s Wide Open Bluegrass event, October 3-4, along with these six other selected productions:

The weekend screenings will be free of charge and open to the public.

Film Festival Committee Chair Michael Hall, who had initiated what is thought to be the very first bluegrass film festival for the Northern California Bluegrass Society in 2008, says that the organization is happy to now include the visual arts in its annual celebration.

“The first IBMA Film Festival will welcome bluegrass filmmakers to the mix of creative professionals at the World Of Bluegrass. Films about bluegrass music history, culture, performers, and lifestyles help tell the bluegrass story to existing fans and new fans alike. These films are now beginning to reach beyond ‘film’ audiences to ‘music’ audiences and are an important developing area of bluegrass event programming. Thanks to the IBMA’s staff and volunteers for supporting this new trend by introducing the films at the World Of Bluegrass.”

For more details on the IBMA Bluegrass Film Festival, and all eight of these films, visit IBMA online.

Herschel Sizemore: Mandolin In B

Regular readers will recall our earlier coverage of mandolin icon Herschel Sizemore and his recent bout with cancer. Both he and his wife Joyce received cancer diagnoses the same day in October 2011, his in the tonsil and hers in the breast. Fortunately, medical treatment in both cases was successful, and the Sizemores are both fit and doing well.

We also covered the tribute concert put on in their hometown of Roanoke, VA in February of 2012, which brought bluegrass superstars like Del McCoury, Seldom Scene, Punch Brothers and many others to the stage to celebrate the life of one of their own, and help raise a few dollars to assist in his time of need.

That show was filmed by California documentarian Rick Bowman, and expanded from hours of interview footage into a 57 minute homage to one of the mandolin’s unique stylists, in Herschel Sizemore: Mandolin in B.

The title comes from the fact that several of Herschel’s most memorable compositions were written and performed in the key of B, an uncommon harmonic home for string music until Bill Monroe repurposed the venerable European instrument in the 1940s. As is discussed on screen, Monroe had developed a technique for playing the mandolin in closed positions, allowing him to solo in whichever key best suited his voice.

The overall theme of the film is the fact that Sizemore was among the very first practitioners of the mandolin to break distinctly from Monroe’s style, and began to chart a course that has profoundly affected everyone who has played since. That story is told though interview segments with such luminaries of the mandolin as David Grisman, Doyle Lawson and Chris Thile, plus artists in attendance at the tribute concert like Del and Jerry McCoury, Sammy Shelor, Dudley Connell, and more.

Herschel also sat for interviews after the show, and some of the most compelling footage involves his own remembrances of his growing up in rural Alabama, and his involvement in the early days of bluegrass. He was an intimate of Bill Monroe, and Lester Flatt, and only skipped being a member of the Foggy Mountain Boys because he turned down the job to be close to his young family when the offer was extended.

Here I should perhaps issue a disclaimer. I count Herschel as among my dearest friends, am a featured performer and talking head in the documentary, and am acquainted with many of the people involved in its production. There is no hope of me issuing a completely objective overview of this project.

But I can say that it is essential viewing for anyone interested in the history of bluegrass mandolin, and the story of the remarkable contributions made by Herschel Sizemore. Or for anyone who would enjoy seeing a reunion of Del McCoury & The Dixie Pals circa 1979, with Del and Jerry McCoury, Dick Smith and Herschel. There are also performances from Seldom Scene, Republik Steele, Alan Bibey, Ronnie Reno, The Travelers, Kevin Baucom & Bandwagon, and Acoustic Endeavors.

The film is not without its hiccups. The audio was mixed for the live audience, and it comes across a bit thin as compared to how it sounded from the stage, and the performance segments don’t always seem to tie in with the interviews that bookend them, but these are very minor critiques and don’t diminish the value of this overdue tribute.

In truth, Bowman was working at something of a disadvantage with this project. The decision to film the show came at the last minute, with no time to modify stage lighting for video needs, but he compensated by showing the live performance scenes in black and white, and the interviews in color. These were captured as the chaotic backstage situation allowed, with no real opportunity to plan a narrative in advance.

But taken all in all, it’s an important addition to the canon of bluegrass history.

Here’s a look at the trailer.

 

Herschel Sizemore: Mandolin In B is being distributed on DVD through Amazon.com where it is offered for $20.

If you don’t know the story of Herschel Sizemore, there is a gaping hole in your knowledge of bluegrass mandolin.

Giving Thanks (Bluegrass Edition)

While we count our many blessings, I want to take a couple of minutes to note some of the things I’m thankful for in the bluegrass world.

For starters, I’m grateful that folks like Bill Monroe, Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs had the foresight to try something different. Their willingness to take chances, to think and play outside the box, created the music we love to play and hear.

But I’m also thankful for current bands that continue to test the boundaries of bluegrass. Some of it goes too far, even for me, but I give these bands credit for trying. And some newer bands are terrific stewards of the bluegrass legacy, even if they color outside the lines. The Punch Brothers aren’t a bluegrass band, but they know and play bluegrass standards regularly. Each time they do that, they open the door for new fans to discover “our” music.

There are many other genre-benders that deserve a listen: Dehlia Low plays what the band calls “Appalachiagrassicana.” I just call it outstanding music. The HillBenders are on this list, too, along with the Infamous Stringdusters. The music from these three bands is aggressive, energetic and fun, with terrific resonator guitar work across the board from Aaron Ballance, Chad Graves and Andy Hall.

I’m thankful that my mid-life conversion to bluegrass allowed me to hear and get to know J.D. Crowe. I’d love to hear him continue to play the five, but the road is hard and long, and after decades of entertaining us, he deserves a break to attend car shows and do other things on weekends instead of work for us. Thanks, J.D., and happy retirement.

But this one is really for all the road warriors who keep at it year of after year, including Ralph Stanley, Del McCoury, Doyle Lawson, Paul Williams and many, many more. And a special shout out for the Seldom Scene. This band, together 42 years and in the current configuration for more than 15 years, is a national treasure. Banjo man Ben Eldridge has been with them from the start. See the Scene while you can, because who knows how long this amazing run will last.

This year, I’m especially thankful that the bluegrass community gives back so much. Whether it’s Detour donating proceeds from the song Homeless of the Brave to a shelter for veterans with no place to stay, or bands getting together to throw a benefit for one of their own, the spirit of generosity is alive and thriving in bluegrass. This point was driven home last February, when hundreds of fans and about a dozen bands showed up in Roanoke in the middle of a blizzard to raise money for Herschel Sizemore and his wife, Joyce, who were recovering from cancer.

Herschel, himself, underscored the spirit in a backstage discussion with Lou Reid and Fred Travers of the Seldom Scene. “Well,” he said, “if I live and something happens to you guys, I’ll be right there to help you.” He would be, of course. And he wouldn’t be alone.

In the helping hand department, I’m especially grateful this year for the distinguished, behind the scenes work of IBMA’s Trust Fund. Half of each year’s proceeds from Fan Fest go into this account to help bluegrassers who are down on their luck. Because the fund operates in confidence, we don’t hear about their good deeds, except in the abstract. That changed for me this year, when a bluegrass picker I know was on the verge of losing the roof over his head through no fault of his own. Some of his friends helped out where we could, but a check from the trust fund really made the difference in getting this musician out of deep hole in his darkest hour. I, for one, will never again take the trust fund for granted, and I know my friend feels the same way.

Finally, a special thanks to the bands who keep songwriters in the game by recording our songs, and to the DJ’s who play the songs and expand the reach of the music we love. And, of course, a big thanks to you, for buying the music, attending the festivals and helping to keep so many music dreams alive. None of the other things I’m thankful for would be possible without you.

Happy Thanksgiving, everybody!

Herschel Sizemore documentary trailer released

An official trailer has been released for Herschel Sizemore: Mandolin In B, a film documentary of his life and musical career by Rick Bowman.

The film is centered around a star-studded benefit show for Sizemore and his wife earlier this year, while they were both undergoing treatment for cancer. Herschel seems to have beaten his disease, and Joyce is doing well in continuing treatment.

Bowman tells the story of Herschel’s musical life and enduring influence on bluegrass mandolin through interviews with some of the top artists in our music, many of them collaborators, peers and friends of Sizemore’s.

An October 12 premier is scheduled as a part of Blue Ridge Film and Music Festival at the Buchanan Theater in Buchanan, VA.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MYin_zAuwHc

 

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