Buddy Pendleton
Buddy Pendleton | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Buddy Gary Pendleton |
| Born | December 9, 1935 Lone Ivy, Patrick County, Virginia, U.S. |
| Died | March 24, 2017 (aged 81) Virginia, U.S. |
| Genres | Bluegrass, old-time |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, fiddler, mail carrier |
| Instruments | Fiddle |
| Years active | c. 1950s–2010s |
Buddy Gary Pendleton (December 9, 1935 – March 24, 2017) was an American bluegrass and old-time fiddler from Patrick County, Virginia. He was a five-time first-place winner at the Union Grove Fiddlers Convention, widely regarded as the world championship of fiddling, and a former member of Bill Monroe's Blue Grass Boys and The Greenbriar Boys.[1][2]
Alongside his musical career, and partly due to his dislike of life on the road, he spent more than forty years delivering mail in rural Southwest Virginia.
Early life and education
Pendleton was born on December 9, 1935, in the Lone Ivy community of Patrick County, Virginia.[3] He grew up on his family's farm along the Smith River with five younger siblings.
He came from a musical family. His father, Roscoe Pendleton, played banjo in the Charlie Poole style, and his mother, Mabel Pendleton, played guitar and harmonica. His uncle Delmar Pendleton, a fiddler, was his earliest musical influence and introduced him to tunes such as "Mississippi Sawyer," "Soldiers Joy," and "Old Richmond."[3][4] Pendleton received his first fiddle at age 11 and won his first fiddle contest as a teenager in Stuart, Virginia.[3]
Music career
Pendleton met the Greenbriar Boys at the Union Grove Fiddlers Contest in 1960 and was invited to join the band.[1] Led by Ralph Rinzler, with Bob Yellin and John Herald, the group was influential in the early 1960s urban folk and bluegrass revival. Pendleton recorded with the group on their first album for Vanguard Records and toured extensively in the northeastern United States, including concerts in which the group appeared with folk singer Joan Baez.[5]
After Rinzler became Bill Monroe's manager, he recommended Pendleton for the fiddle position with Monroe's band. In 1962, Pendleton joined the Blue Grass Boys, which then included Del McCoury, Bill Keith, and Bessie Lee Mauldin.[1][4] He was with the band for less than a year, leaving due to his dislike of touring life.
Pendleton returned to Patrick County, settling in Woolwine, Virginia, where he worked as a rural mail carrier for the United States Postal Service for more than forty years.[2]
He continued to perform, compete, and record, collaborating with artists and groups including Lost and Found, Larry Richardson and the Blue Ridge Boys, Wayne Henderson, Raymond Fairchild, the Crow Brothers, the Highlanders, and others.[6][4] He was also featured in the Mountain Music Project, a documentary film project highlighting traditional Appalachian musicians.[4]
Musical style
Pendleton's playing was noted for its smooth melodic phrasing, technical precision, and equal use of all four fingers on the fingering hand, a technique he attributed largely to the influence of his uncle Delmar.[3]
He was known for his energetic performance style in contest settings and for mentoring younger musicians throughout his later life.
Awards and recognition
- Five consecutive first-place wins at the Union Grove Fiddlers Convention[2]
- Champion (tie) in the Bluegrass Senior Division — Fiddler — Fiddler's Grove/Union Grove Fiddlers Contest, 1971.[7]
- Two-time winner of the bluegrass fiddle competition at the Old Fiddlers Convention in Galax, Virginia[1]
- Named a Virginia Master Artist by the Virginia Foundation for the Humanities[1][4]
In 2003, he served as a master artist in the Virginia Folklife Apprenticeship Program, mentoring fiddler Montana Young.[2]
Discography
Albums (selected)
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1966 | Virginia Breakdown | Primary artist, fiddle | Early recording |
| 2002 | Classic Bluegrass | Fiddle | Smithsonian Folkways compilation |
| 2007 | Classic Old-Time Fiddle from Smithsonian Folkways | Primary artist, fiddle | Smithsonian Folkways release[8] |
| Reissues and various artist compilations | |||
| 2002 | Best of the Vanguard Years | Additional personnel, fiddle | The Greenbriar Boys compilation |
| 2003 | Big Apple Bluegrass | Fiddle | The Greenbriar Boys |
| 2003 | Wayne C. Henderson and Company | Fiddle | Various artists |
| 2003 | Let the Light Shine Down: A Gospel Tribute to Bill Monroe | Fiddle | Tribute compilation |
Death
Pendleton died on March 24, 2017, at age 81, in Virginia.[1] His funeral in Stuart, Virginia, included a memorial jam session at the gravesite, where musicians were invited to bring instruments in tribute to his life and career.[1]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 John Lawless (March 27, 2017). "Buddy Pendleton passes". Bluegrass Today.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 "Buddy Pendleton and Montana Young". Virginia Folklife. Virginia Foundation for the Humanities.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 "Buddy Pendleton". Virginia Folklife. Virginia Foundation for the Humanities.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 "Mountain Music Project – Film". Mountain Music Project.
- ↑ "Buddy Pendleton Discography". Discogs.
- ↑ "Buddy Pendleton – Credits". AllMusic.
- ↑ "1971 Winners, Fiddler's Grove: Retrospective, 1970–75". Fiddler's Grove: Retrospective. UNC Libraries. Retrieved January 14, 2026.
- ↑ "Classic Old-Time Fiddle from Smithsonian Folkways". Smithsonian Folkways Recordings. Smithsonian Institution. Retrieved January 11, 2026.
External links
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