Bluegrass Icon passed away ... (father of a dear friend of mine)

[Tuesday Afternoon]

James (Jim) Shumate, 91, died peacefully Thursday, Oct. 10, 2013, surrounded by his family. He was born Oct. 21, 1921.

A self-taught fiddler, as a young man, Shumate began playing with Don Walker and the Blue Ridge Boys on the radio station, WHKY. His playing was heard by Bill Monroe who hired him to play with his Blue Grass Boys on the Grand Ole Opry. After playing with Bill Monroe, he joined Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs' Foggy Mountain Boys and played on their first recording.

In 1948 he won the National Fiddlers Convention in Richlands, Va. He also made six solo recordings of bluegrass standards, as well as his own original tunes. Shumate's innovative fiddle style earned him a place in the Bluegrass Hall of Fame in Nashville, Tenn. In 1995 he received the North Carolina Folk Heritage Award given by the North Carolina Arts Council for "excellence achieved through a lifetime of practice." One of the pioneers of bluegrass music, Shumate appeared on a TNN special, "Grass Roots for Bluegrass," in 1999.

He performed at the first Merlefest in 1988 and returned in 2005 to perform with other former members of Bill Monroe's Blue Grass Boys. Shumate's fiddle and band photos are currently on display in Raleigh at the N.C. Museum of History as part of an exhibition on N.C. bluegrass musicians.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

1. Safe passage to him, my dear Tuesday Afternoon...

Sounds like he had good, long innings, and a remarkably eventful and musical life as well.

I hope his family can hang on to these good memories, and you as well, as you pass through this period of transcendent grief...

[Tuesday Afternoon]

2. yes, His was a life well lived. Thanks for the kind words, Peggy.

I had not realized the extent of his musical contribution to Americana.
Bluegrass is not for everyone but, it is traditional heritage and Mr. Shumate
was a bigger part of that than I realized.