Vassar Clements, 77, Fiddler Across Many Styles of Music, Dies
NY Times
Vassar Clements, a fiddle virtuoso and A-list studio musician who played with Paul McCartney and an array of others, died on Tuesday at his home in Goodlettsville, Tenn. He was 77.
The cause was lung cancer, which had spread to his liver and brain, his daughter Midge Cranor said.
Mr. Clements’s last performance was on Feb. 4 in Jamestown, N.Y., Ms. Cranor said.
His work bridged a variety of styles, including country, jazz, bluegrass, rock ‘n’roll and classical.
“When the rhythm is good, I can play it,” he told The Associated Press in a 1988 interview.
Over his career, he was recorded on more than 2,000 albums, joining artists as varied as McCartney, Johnny Cash, Bonnie Raitt, the Grateful Dead, Bruce Hornsby, Hank Williams Jr., the Byrds, Woody Herman and the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band. He also made more than two dozen albums of his own and appeared in Robert Altman’s 1975 film “Nashville.”
The 2005 Grammy Award for best country instrumental performance went to “Earl’s Breakdown,” by the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band featuring Mr. Clements, Earl Scruggs, Randy Scruggs and Jerry Douglas. He was also on the band’s landmark album “Will the Circle Be Unbroken.”
Mr. Clements was born in Kinards, S.C., and grew up in Kissimmee, Fla. He taught himself to play at age 7 and had no formal training.
“It was God’s gift, something born in me,” he said about his talent. “I was too dumb to learn it any other way. I listened to the (Grand Ole) Opry some. I’d pick it up one note at a time. I was young, with plenty of time and I didn’t give up. You’d come home from school, do your lessons and that’s it. No other distractions.
“I don’t read music. I play what I hear.”
