Calvin Scott "Scotty" Stoneman (1932–1973) was an American bluegrass and

country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. It may be a sovereign state or make up one part of a larger state. For example, the country of Japan is an independent, sovereign state, while ...

fiddler, five-time National Fiddle Champion and a member of the Bluegrass Champs, the Kentucky Colonels and the Stoneman Family band. He was one of 23 children of

Ernest Stoneman Ernest Van "Pop" Stoneman (May 25, 1893 – June 14, 1968) was an American musician, ranked among the prominent recording artists of country music's first commercial decade. Biography Born in a log cabin in Monarat (Iron Ridge), Carroll Count ...

and Hattie Frost Stoneman. Noted for his wild, improvisational style, Stoneman originally learned to play from his maternal grandfather Bill Frost, a traditional fiddler from

southwest Virginia Southwest Virginia, often abbreviated as SWVA, is a mountainous region of Virginia in the westernmost part of the commonwealth. Located within the broader region of western Virginia, Southwest Virginia has been defined alternatively as all Virg ...

. Growing up in the Maryland suburbs he played in an early incarnation of the Stoneman Family band called "Pop Stoneman and the Little Pebbles" and then formed the Bluegrass Champs which included his sisters, Roni and Donna and his brothers Jimmy and Van along with Porter Church. Success in the

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

area led to a guest spot on the Grand Ole Opry in 1962, and an eventual move to Nashville. Stoneman left his family band in 1964 to join the Kentucky Colonels. He achieved renown even from

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

musicians, with Jerry Garcia of the Grateful Dead referring to him as "the bluegrass

Charlie Parker Charles Parker Jr. (August 29, 1920 – March 12, 1955), nicknamed "Bird" or "Yardbird", was an American jazz saxophonist, band leader and composer. Parker was a highly influential soloist and leading figure in the development of bebop, a form ...

." Having struggled with alcoholism throughout his life, Stoneman stopped playing music in the early seventies in an attempt to quit drinking. After a period of sobriety he died in March 1973 of alcohol poisoning.

References

1932 births 1973 deaths American bluegrass fiddlers American country fiddlers Kentucky Colonels (band) members {{US-country-musician-stub