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Bill Lowery-Tennessee Valley Mandolin
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Center for Popular Music
Bill Lowery-Tennessee Valley Mandolin
Bill Lowery was born December 7, 1928, in White County, Tennessee. Like many other traditional musicians he was born into a musical family. His father is an accomplished old-time banjo player, who at the age of 80 is still actively playing favorite tunes such as SAIL AWAY LADIES and ROARING RIVER. Bill learned a great number of the old-time tunes he plays from his father. The first instrument Bill learned to play was the guitar. His musical endeavors began at the tender age of nine years on a $2.00 guitar. However, his brother, Willard, also took up the guitar. So, at age 15, Bill switched to the mandolin. A quick glance at the titles could easily make one think that this is an album of fiddle music instead of mandolin music. This is certainly not just a coincidence, as the fiddle is Bill’s favorite instrument. If he had not suffered a broken right arm, which prohibits his use of the bow, this might well have been an album of fiddle music. Concerning his mandolin style and choice of tunes, Bill says that “in playing the mandolin I try to express myself by playing a tune as much like the old-time fiddle version as I can.” Mr. Bob Douglas, the well-known old-time fiddler from Chattanooga, Tennessee, has helped Bill considerably in perfecting a number of the old-time tunes. Bill’s musical talents have not gone unnoticed, and consequently he has put together an impressive list of accomplishments. He has appeared on radio station WDOD in Chattanooga, Tennessee; the WNOX Barn Dance in Knoxville, Tennessee; the Renfro Valley Barn Dance, and as a guest on the Grand Ole Opry with his good friends Sam and Kirk McGee. More recently, Bill has become well-known to both musicians and spectators who attend old-time fiddlers conventions in the southeast. In competition he has earned an impressive number of titles. In 1970, 1972, 1973, and 1974 at the annual Tennessee Valley Old Time Fiddlers’ Association convention held at Athens, Alabama, he was proclaimed the Tennessee Valley Mandolin Champion. In 1971 and 1972 he was the Sequatchie Valley Mandolin Champion, 1972 he earned the title of Mandolin Champion of the Upper Cumberlands, and in 1974 he was awarded the title of Renfro Valley Mandolin Champion. With this kind of background I feel that you will certainly agree that Bill Lowery is truly an outstanding musician. (I hope this album will bring as much enjoyment to those who listen to it as it has been to produce it.) Steve Davis December 1975 Special thanks is due: Mr. Harold Cummings for his extreme patience and care in the recording of this album, and Bill and Ellyn Trigg for more help than there is space to mention.
Stock number:
SFR DU 33005
Price:
$15.00
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