I heard Vassar Clements 30 years ago. He played fiddle. He mighta played violin too but he was first and foremost a country/bluegrass fiddle player. I’m a major fan of fiddle playing; in fact I just yesterday ordered the reissue of the first “Good Ol’ Persons” album. My love of this California group goes back a long ways, and one prime reason is the fiddle playing of Laurie Lewis. She and Kathy Kallick should be more famous than they are; one of Laurie’s songs has been covered over the years, but both are brilliant musicians and superb songwriters.

A while back I wrote an article for Jerry and Suzle’s fanzine “Littlebrook” on why being a science fiction fan and being a country music fan were related – I can send it or tell ya how to download it from efanzines.com if you’re interested. But I’m a Jewish white girl from New England, and I’ve found a home in modern country and bluegrass music for years and years. One name I know well is that of Vassar Clements.

Over the years, Clements played with Stephane Grapelli, Paul McCartney, Bonnie Raitt, David Grisman and Jerry Garcia, Darol Anger and Bela Fleck, jazz and pop and every incarnation of “Will the Circle Be Unbroken” that was ever recorded, I think. I think he was sort of the Willie Nelson of fiddle; he seemed open to playing with anyone for any reason in any form, the way Willie will sing with just about anyone. And I like the music they make.

Vassar Clements died yesterday; he was born in 1928 and apparently had been dealing with lung cancer. I never bought any Vassar Clements albums or cd’s but I bet I have a wealth of his music collected here and there. Every time I hear his name I hear the line from Robert Altman’s “Nashville” a movie he played in and a movie I adored. I can’t get to the record right now, but I believe it’s probably Ronee Blakely, who played Barbara Jean in that film, who introduces a segment by the band by saying “here’s the best, here’s Vassar”. And he was.