Mike Auldridge
| Mike Auldridge | |
|---|---|
 Mike Auldridge at The Birchmere, December 2006 |
|
| Background information | |
| Born | December 30, 1938 Washington, D.C. |
| Died | December 29, 2012 (aged 73) Silver Spring, Maryland |
| Genres | Bluegrass, Country, Instrumental |
| Instruments | Resonator Guitar, Vocals |
| Years active | 1960s–2012 (death) |
| Associated acts | Seldom Scene, Chesapeake |
| Website | www.MikeAuldridge.com |
| Notable instruments | |
| Beard MA-6, Beard MA-8 | |
Mike Auldridge (December 30, 1938 – December 29, 2012) was widely acknowledged as a premier resophonic guitar (the instrument formerly referred to as a Dobro) player. He played with The Seldom Scene for many years, creating a fusion of bluegrass with jazz, folk and rock.
Born in Washington, D.C.,[1] Auldridge started playing guitar at the age of 13. His main influence through his early years was Josh Graves who also sold him his first Dobro.[2] A 1967 graduate of The University of Maryland, Auldridge worked as a graphic artist for a commercial art firm in Bethesda, Maryland and then for the now defunct Washington Star-News. He did not start playing music full-time until the Washington Star-News folded in 1976.
Auldridge last played with Darren Beachley and The Legends of the Potomac bluegrass band[3] Past bands include Emerson and Waldron, Cliff Waldron and the New Shades of Grass, Seldom Scene (of which he was a founding member), Chesapeake, The Good Deale Bluegrass Band, and John Starling and Carolina Star (which featured three original members of The Seldom Scene). Mike was also a member of the touring bands of Lyle Lovett and Emmylou Harris.
Auldridge worked with Paul Beard (Beard Guitars) to produce the Beard Mike Auldridge Models of square-neck resophonic guitars, including an 8-string version.
Just one day prior to his 74th birthday, he died on December 29, 2012 at home under hospice care in Silver Spring, Maryland after a lengthy battle with prostate cancer.[4][5]
Awards [edit]
Auldridge won numerous awards including a Grammy, Frets Magazine's "Dobro Player of the Year", the International Bluegrass Music Association's Distinguished Achievement Award and was named a National Endowment for the Arts Heritage Fellow in 2012.[6]
References [edit]
- ^ Allmusic biography
- ^ Holland, William (November 19, 1972). "Young Man with a Dobro". Washington
- ^ ."Good Deale Bluegrass Band: Band Members". Good Deale Bluegrass Band. Retrieved 2009-05-18.
- ^ Cooper, Peter (December 29, 2012). "Mike Auldridge, ‘hero’ of the Dobro, dies at 73". The Tennesseean. Text "http://blogs.tennessean.com/tunein/2012/12/29/mike-auldridge-hero-of-the-dobro-dies-at-73/ " ignored (help);
- ^ Morris, David. "RIP Mike Auldridge". Bluegrass Today. Retrieved 29 December 2012.
- ^ "2012 NEA National Heritage Fellow Mike Auldridge". Lifetime Honors. National Endowment for the Arts. Retrieved 29 December 2012.
External links [edit]
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