HANDS OF MUSIC ART SERIES

The following is an obituary article written by Adam W. Carlos for American Songwriter magazine.

VASSAR CLEMENTS SUCCUMBS TO CANCER
Adam W. Carlos   8/13/05

On August 16th, legendary fiddle virtuoso Vassar Clements succumbed to lung cancer at the age of 77. With his passing, the music world lost not only one of its most charismatic and gracious members, but also one of bluegrass music’s most influential and talented instrumentalists. His career spanned more than 50 years, and his fiddle playing can be heard in over 3,000 musical recordings -- including the 27 albums he personally recorded.

Clements professional career began in 1949, after joining Bill Monroe and The Bluegrass Boys as their fiddle player -- just three years after Bill Monroe was credited with creating the genre named after this band. Seven years later and into the early seventies, Clements worked with country artists and bluegrass musicians alike.

In 1972 Vassar gained exposure and popularity for his performance on the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band’s album Will the Circle Be Unbroken, and through Doc Watson’s now infamous words “How does it go, Vassar.”

Clements later broadened his musical focus by working with artists involved in several different genres of music. These artists included, but were not limited to, Earl Scruggs, David Grisman, Paul McCartney, B.B. King, Johnny Cash, The Grateful Dead, The Allman Brothers, Dave Mathews, Emmylou Harris, and The Boston Pops.

In the end, Vassar Clements collaborated his many musical experiences: early jazz, bluegrass, and swing as a means to develop his own style of music dubbed “Hillbilly Jazz.”

But regardless of his experience, style, five Grammy nominations, and numerous accolades over the years, Clements gained the most important recognition: the admiration and respect of his fellow musicians and fans.