Butch Baldassari
| Butch Baldassari | |
|---|---|
Baldassari (left) with the Weary Hearts bluegrass band.
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Paul Wadey Jerome Baldassari |
| Born |
December 11, 1952 Scranton, Pennsylvania |
| Died | January 10, 2009 (aged 56) Nashville, Tennessee |
| Genres | Bluegrass music, jazz music, Celtic music, classical music |
| Occupation(s) | Musician |
| Instruments | Mandolin |
| Years active | 1989–2009 |
| Labels | SoundArt Recordings |
| Associated acts | Weary Hearts, the Nashville Mandolin Ensemble, Lonesome Standard Time, the Nashville Mandolin Trio |
Paul Wadey Jerome "Butch" Baldassari (December 11, 1952 – January 10, 2009) was an American mandolinist, recording artist, composer, and music teacher.
Baldassari played guitar in rock bands as a teen with his brother Buster, but coverted to mandolin in 1972 at the Philadelphia Folk Festival when he saw Andy Statman with David Bromberg and Barry Mitterhoff with the Bottle Hill Boys.
While completing postgraduate work at the University of Nevada, Baldassari joined the bluegrass band Weary Heart. He was a member of the band from 1986 to 1990. Besides Baldassari, the band included Mike Bub (bass), Ron Block (banjo, guitar), and Chris Jones (guitar). In 1988, they won the Best Bluegrass Band Award by the Society for the Preservation of Bluegrass Music in America (SPBGMA).
Baldassari moved to Nashville in 1985, and founded the Nashville Mandolin Ensemble in 1990. Their musical repertoire included bluegrass, classical, Celtic, and jazz, and they revived the 19th century mandolin orchestra concept: 11 musicians incorporating mandocello, mandola, guitar and bass.
From 1992 until 1998, Baldassari was a member of the bluegrass band Lonesome Standard Time with Larry Cordle (vocals, guitar), Glen Duncan (violin), Keith Little (banjo, guitar), Robin Smith (bass), and Charlie Cushman (guitar). Their 1992 album Lonesome River Band was nominated for a Grammy, and the song "Lonesome Standard Time" was named Song of the Year by the International Bluegrass Music Association in 1993.
In 1995, Baldassari performed with violinist Richard Greene in his band The Grass is Greener. Their 1997 album Sales Tax Toddle was nominated for a Grammy.
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