b. Dubois, Pennsylvania, July 28, 1938
Nashville Cat
In his distinctive fiddle style, Buddy Spicher combined a rich tonal quality with bluegrass precision and an adventurous sense of swing. After arriving in Nashville, he quickly gained attention as a dazzling instrumentalist capable of handling country, jazz, pop, and rock.
At age fifteen, Spicher became a staff musician on the WWVA Jamboree in Wheeling, West Virginia. At eighteen, he moved to Nashville at the request of singer Audrey Williams, widow of Hank Williams, and joined the staff band on The Wilburn Brothers Show, a syndicated TV program.
As a band musician, Spicher toured with Patsy Cline, Loretta Lynn, the Osborne Brothers, Ray Price, Hank Snow, and Faron Young. In the studio, he recorded with hundreds of country artists, including Country Music Hall of Fame members Waylon Jennings, George Jones, Roger Miller, Charley Pride, Marty Robbins, the Statler Brothers, Hank Thompson, and Bob Wills.
A favorite of non-country artists, Spicher has played on recordings by jazz musician Gary Burton, singer Rosemary Clooney, and orchestral bandleader Henry Mancini. He can be heard on albums by the Monkees, Joan Baez, Ian & Sylvia, and J.J. Cale. Spicher also was a member of the super-picker band Area Code 615.
Gary Burton, Tennessee Firebird, 1967
Gary Burton, Tennessee Firebird, 1967
Linda Ronstadt, Silk Purse, 1970
Listen to Buddy Spicher
Selected Songs
Linda Ronstadt, “Long Long Time” (Gary White)
Among the musicians featured on this recording are Buddy Spicher, fiddle; Pete Wade, guitar; Weldon Myrick, pedal steel guitar; Norbert Putnam, harpsichord.
From the album Silk Purse, 1970. Produced by Elliot Mazer at Cinderella Sound Studios, Madison, Tennessee.
Steve Miller Band, “Going to the Country” (Steve Miller, Ben Sidran)
Among the musicians featured on this recording are Buddy Spicher, fiddle; Charlie McCoy, harmonica; Steve Miller, guitar and vocal; Bobby Winkelman, bass; Tim Davis, drums.
From the album Number 5, 1970. Produced by the Steve Miller Band at Cinderella Sound Studios, Madison, Tennessee.
Sir Douglas Quintet, “Be Real” (Doug Sahm)
Among the musicians featured on this recording are Buddy Spicher, fiddle; Tommy Jackson, fiddle; Ray Edenton, guitar; Chip Young, guitar; Pete Drake, pedal steel guitar; Bob Moore, bass; Kenny Buttrey, drums.
From the album 1+1+1=4, 1970. Produced by Jerry Kennedy at Monument Studios, Nashville.
Gary Burton, “Faded Love” (Bob Wills, Johnnie Lee Wills)
Among the musicians featured on this recording are Buddy Spicher, fiddle; Gary Burton, vibes; Buddy Emmons, pedal steel guitar; Henry Strzelecki, bass; Kenny Buttrey, drums.
From the album Tennessee Firebird, 1967. Produced by Chet Atkins and Brad McCuen at RCA Studios, Nashville.
Charley Pride, “Is Anybody Goin’ to San Antone” (Glenn Martin, Dave Kirby)
Among the musicians featured on this recording are Buddy Spicher, fiddle; Dave Kirby, guitar; Lloyd Green, pedal steel guitar.
From the album Charley Pride’s 10th Album, 1970. Produced by Jack Clement at RCA Studio B, Nashville.
Faron Young, “Your Time’s Comin’” (Kris Kristofferson, Shel Silverstein)
Among the musicians featured on this recording is Buddy Spicher, fiddle.
From the album Wine Me Up, 1969. Produced by Jerry Kennedy at Mercury Custom Recording Studio, Nashville.
Meet the Cats
Best known for his harmonica technique—distinguished by speed, clarity, and exceptional phrasing, Charlie McCoy is a multi-instrumentalist who has been recorded on bass, guitar, keyboards, percussion, saxophone, trumpet, and tuba.
Charlie Daniels proved pivotal to many of the Nashville recording sessions of Leonard Cohen and Bob Dylan. Because Daniels had a strong blues influence, Johnston felt he would fit with the adventurous singer-songwriters.
Ben Keith was a prominent Nashville pedal steel guitarist and dobro specialist before becoming a producer and instrumentalist for Neil Young.
One of country music’s most admired and influential steel guitarists, Weldon Myrick taught himself to play lap steel and, at age thirteen, landed a job on a radio station near his hometown of Jayton, Texas.
Mac Gayden grew up fascinated by the R&B acts he heard in his hometown of Nashville. That interest helped him develop a style as a guitarist, vocalist, and songwriter distinctly different from other Nashville studio pros.
Lloyd Green developed an emotional, resonant style of pedal steel guitar playing that gave him a distinct sound apart from other top steel specialists.
At age eighteen, Pete Drake heard steel guitarist Jerry Byrd on the Grand Ole Opry during a trip to Nashville. Duly inspired, Drake purchased a steel guitar in an Atlanta pawnshop. The decision not only changed his life, but impacted the sound of country and rock music.
Pig Robbins earned his stripes by creating the rocking piano on George Jones’s “White Lightnin’.” Over the ensuing decades, his integral role on Music Row recording sessions earned him membership in the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2012.
In his distinctive fiddle style, Buddy Spicher combined a rich tonal quality with bluegrass precision and an adventurous sense of swing. After arriving in Nashville, he quickly gained attention as a dazzling instrumentalist capable of handling country, jazz, pop, and rock.
Inspired by Country Music Hall of Fame members Chet Atkins and Earl Scruggs, Wayne Moss’s iconic guitar riffs helped forge the identifiable sounds of country and rock hits.
Norbert Putnam is a widely admired bassist, record producer, and studio owner. He started his career in his teens recording with soul singer Arthur Alexander at FAME Studios in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, as part of a renowned rhythm section that included keyboardist David Briggs and drummer Jerry Carrigan.
Grady Martin was a member of a loose collection of legendary studio musicians known as the Nashville A-team. His versatility and creativity as a guitarist also appealed to younger rockers and singer-songwriters who came to Nashville.
David Briggs began playing piano on R&B, pop, and country hits in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, in his teens. After a brief stint as a pop singer, Briggs moved to Nashville in 1964 to focus on a career as a studio musician.
Three-time Grammy winner Jerry Reed is most famous for his colorful, catchy story songs steeped in Southern attitude and lore. He was recognized as a groundbreaking guitarist with a guitar technique that gave an extra layer of funky, back-country grease.
The preferred drummer for artists across America—he built a lasting legacy with his work in R&B and rock.
Fred Carter Jr. began his career in northeastern Louisiana playing rock & roll. He backed Dale Hawkins, known for his rock hit “Susie-Q,” and later played with Ronnie Hawkins, Dale’s cousin, in his backing group, the Hawks. Carter left and was replaced by Robbie Robertson before the group evolved into the Band.