Died On This Date (December 29, 2012) Mike Auldridge / Dobro Legend
themusicsover Mike Auldridge
December 30, 1938 – December 29, 2012
Mike Auldridge was a much respected master of the resophonic guitar, or as it is more commonly known, the dobro. Born in Washington, DC, Auldridge began playing the guitar at the age of 13. He eventually transitioned to the dobro, but didn’t began playing music full-time until he was around 40, when the Washington Star-News closed its doors. He had had been earning his living as a graphic artist for the paper. In 1971, Auldridge co-founded the Seldom Scene with a handful of musicians he jammed with each week. The band, much to the chagrin of traditionalists, married bluegrass with jazz, folk, and rock. By doing so, they were pioneers of progressive bluegrass, or what they called “acid grass,” which has been popularized by such jam bands as String Cheese Incident. As an in-demand session player, Auldridge played on records by Bill Monroe, Linda Ronstadt, Emmylou Harris, Ricky Skaggs, Doc Watson, Ralph Stanley, and many more. During the ’90s, he played in Chesapeake with former members of the Seldom Scene. Over the course of his career, Auldridge was awarded a Grammy as well as numerous other accolades, and in 2012, he was named a National Endowment for the Arts Heritage Fellow. Mike Auldridge was 73 when he died of cancer on December 29, 2012.
What You Should Own
Martin Fay is best remembered as the founding fiddler for the Chieftains. Formed in 1962, the Cheiftains went on to become arguably the biggest Irish folk band in history. If nothing more, they helped popularize their native music the world over for the better part of 50 years. To date, the band has earned six Grammys and has been named “Ireland’s Musical Ambassadors.” Fay learned to play the violin as a child, and by his late teens, he was playing in the Abbey Theatre orchestra in Dublin. By the early ’60s, Fay was earning his living by playing music, and in 1963, he and the Chieftains released their self-titled debut on Claddagh Records. From then on, the band seemed to tour the world non-stop, even playing in front of over 1 million people during Pope John Paul II‘s visit to Dublin in 1979. In 2001, Fay retired from the road but continued to record and perform with the Chieftains, but only in Ireland. In all, he played on over 30 albums before retiring completely in 2002. Martin Fay was 76 when he passed away on November 14, 2012. Cause of death was not immediately released, although, he had reportedly been ill for quite some time prior.
Nils Koppruch was a German singer-songwriter who also worked as a freelance artist. Strongly influenced by American folk, blues, Americana, and bluegrass, Koppruch built a dedicated following as the front man for Finch from 1996 to 2006. After Finch dissolved, Koppruch continued on as a solo artist performing in a style he called “city folk.” He toured throughout Germany, Austria and Switzerland, gaining loyal fans along the way. Koppruch released two solo albums, The Hell Do (V2 Records) in 2007 and Caruso in 2010. In 2012, he collaborated with Gisbert zu Knyphausen on an album entitled simply, I. Nils Koppruch was 46 when he passed away on October 10, 2012. Cause of death was not immediately released.
Raylene Rankin was the co-lead singer for influential Canadian Irish folk group, the Rankin Family. Formed in 1989, the group, which also included siblings, Jimmy, Cookie, Heather, John Morris, and David, won numerous awards, including six Juno Awards – Canada’s answer to the Grammys. Shortly after the Rankin Family formed, they began self-releasing their music on cassette. By the early ’90s, they were signed to EMI Records and touring all over Canada and beyond. The 1992 EMI re-release of their Fair Thee Well Love sold more than 500,000 in its initial years. The group released several more albums through the years including the quadruple platinum North Country, and their most recent, 2009’s These Are The Moments. Meanwhile, Raylene released a handful of solo albums as well. During the she early 2000s, Raylene was diagnosed with cancer, and on September 30, 2012 she died of breast cancer. She was 52 when he passed away.
Although known the world over for his portrayal of two iconic television characters, Andy Griffith was also a Grammy-winning singer. Regularly exposed to music from a young age, Griffith gravitated toward the arts while in school. While growing up, he performed in many local productions while learning to sing and play the trombone. After graduating from college with a degree in music, Griffith headed to Broadway. But by the late ’50s he was earning rave reviews for his performances in films like A Face In The Crowd and No Time For Sergeants. In 1960, Griffith began starring as Sheriff Andy Taylor, the non-gun toting lawman in the television comedy series, The Andy Griffith Show. The program, which ran until 1968, went on to become one of the most beloved television series of all time. Another of Griffith’s iconic characters came in the form of Ben Matlock in the legal drama series, Matlock. The popular show, which began in 1986, ran until 1995, after which Griffith went on to appear in countless films and television programs. Being a trained singer and musician afforded Griffith the opportunity to perform in some of his acting roles, most notably, The Andy Griffith Show and A Face In The Crowd. Over the years, he released over a dozen albums which were generally Southern Gospel. His 1996 album, I Love To Tell The Story: 25 Timeless Hymns, sold over a million copies and earned him two Grammys. Griffith stayed active well into the 2000s with numerous cameos and such. On July 3, 2012, it was reported that Andy Griffith passed away of natural causes. He was 86.