The Seldom Scene is an American bluegrass band that formed in 1971 in

Bethesda, Maryland Bethesda () is an unincorporated, census-designated place in southern Montgomery County, Maryland. It is located just northwest of Washington, D.C. It takes its name from a local church, the Bethesda Meeting House (1820, rebuilt 1849), which in ...

. The band's original line-up comprised John Starling on lead vocals and guitar,

Mike Auldridge Mike Auldridge (December 30, 1938 – December 29, 2012) was an American Dobro player and a founding member of the bluegrass group The Seldom Scene. The ''New York Times'' described Auldridge as "one of the most distinctive dobro players in the ...

Dobro Dobro is an American brand of resonator guitars, currently owned by Gibson and manufactured by its subsidiary Epiphone. The term "dobro" is also used as a generic term for any wood-bodied, single-cone resonator guitar. The Dobro was originally ...

and baritone vocals,

Ben Eldridge Ben Eldridge, (born August 15, 1938) is a five-string banjo player and a founding member of the seminal bluegrass group The Seldom Scene. He also works as a mathematician. Biography Ben Eldridge was born in Richmond, Virginia. He began playing t ...

banjo The banjo is a stringed instrument with a thin membrane stretched over a frame or cavity to form a resonator. The membrane is typically circular, and usually made of plastic, or occasionally animal skin. Early forms of the instrument were fashi ...

Tom Gray Tom or TOM may refer to: * Tom (given name), a diminutive of Thomas or Tomás or an independent Aramaic given name (and a list of people with the name) Characters * Tom Anderson, a character in ''Beavis and Butt-Head'' * Tom Beck, a character ...

double bass The double bass (), also known simply as the bass () (or #Terminology, by other names), is the largest and lowest-pitched Bow (music), bowed (or plucked) string instrument in the modern orchestra, symphony orchestra (excluding unorthodox addit ...

, and

John Duffey John Humbird Duffey Jr. (March 4, 1934 – December 10, 1996) was a Washington D.C. based bluegrass musician. Duffey was born in Washington, D.C., and lived nearly all his life in the Washington D.C. area. He graduated from Bethesda-Chevy Cha ...

mandolin A mandolin ( it, mandolino ; literally "small mandola") is a stringed musical instrument in the lute family and is generally plucked with a pick. It most commonly has four courses of doubled strings tuned in unison, thus giving a total of 8 ...

; the latter three also provided backing vocals. Together they released their debut studio album, '' Act I'', in 1972, followed by both '' Act II'' and '' Act III'' in 1973. In 1977, Starling left the group and was replaced by singer-songwriter Phil Rosenthal. Starling and Rosenthal shared lead vocals on the group's sixth studio album, ''

Baptizing Baptism (from grc-x-koine, βάπτισμα, váptisma) is a form of ritual purification—a characteristic of many religions throughout time and geography. In Christianity, it is a Christian sacrament of initiation and adoption, almost inv ...

'', released in 1978. Around the same time, the group switched record labels from

Rebel Records Rebel Records is an independent American record label based in Charlottesville, Virginia that specializes in bluegrass and old time music. The label was founded in Mount Rainier, Maryland in 1959 by Dick Freeland, Bill Carroll and Sonny Compton. ...

Sugar Hill Records Sugar Hill Records is an American bluegrass and Americana record label. It was founded in Durham, North Carolina in 1978 by Barry Poss and David Freeman, the owner of County Records and Rebel Records. Poss acquired full control of Sugar Hil ...

. In 1986, Rosenthal and Gray left the band, and were replaced by

Lou Reid Lou Reid Pyrtle (born September 13, 1954 in Union Grove, North Carolina) is an American bluegrass singer, band leader, and multi-instrumentalist. Biography Early life Reid grew up on a tobacco farm in Moore Springs, North Carolina. His father ...

and T. Michael Coleman, respectively; Reid and Coleman first appeared on the band's 1988 album ''

A Change of Scenery ''A Change Of Scenery'' is an album by the Maryland-based progressive bluegrass band The Seldom Scene. It is the first album with vocalist/guitarist Lou Reid and bassist T. Michael Coleman. Track listing Personnel * Lou Reid – vo ...

''. Reid left the band in 1992, and Starling briefly returned to the group, performing on their 1994 album '' Like We Used to Be''. Starling was replaced by Moondi Klein as the band's lead singer. During 1995 and 1996, Klein, Coleman, and Auldridge, left the Seldom Scene to form a new band called

Chesapeake Chesapeake often refers to: *Chesapeake people, a Native American tribe also known as the Chesepian * The Chesapeake, a.k.a. Chesapeake Bay *Delmarva Peninsula, also known as the Chesapeake Peninsula Chesapeake may also refer to: Populated plac ...

. Duffey and Eldridge recruited guitarist Fred Travers, bassist Ronnie Simpkins, and guitarist and singer

Dudley Connell Dudley Connell (born February 18, 1956) is an American singer in the bluegrass tradition. He is best known for his work with the Johnson Mountain Boys, Longview, and The Seldom Scene. Biography Early years Connell grew up in Rockville, Maryland. ...

into the Seldom Scene, and together released the album ''

Dream Scene ''Dream Scene'' is an album by the progressive bluegrass Maryland band The Seldom Scene. There were several personnel changes in the group after the unsuccessful comeback with John Starling. Mike Auldridge, Moondi Klein, and T. Michael Colema ...

'' in 1996. That same year, Duffey died of a

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which may tr ...

. Reid returned to the band to replace Duffey on mandolin, and the group released the album ''

Scene It All ''Scene It all'' is an album by the progressive bluegrass Maryland band the Seldom Scene, released in 2000. Ben Eldridge re-recruited Lou Reid, this time on mandolin, to replace John Duffey, who died in 1996. Critical reception ''Exclaim!'' wr ...

'' in 2000. The group's 2007 album ''

Scenechronized ''Scenechronized'' is an album by the progressive bluegrass Maryland band The Seldom Scene. It was nominated for the Best Bluegrass Album Grammy in 2007. Track listing # Hometown Blues ( Steve Earle) 3:07 # Heart and Soul (David Norris) 3:18 # ...

'' was nominated for a

Grammy Award for Best Bluegrass Album The Grammy Award for Best Bluegrass Album is an award presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to recording artists for quality works (songs or albums) in the bluegrass mu ...

History

Formation and early career (1971)

The Seldom Scene was established in 1971, and they would practice in Ben Eldridge's basement. These practice sessions included John Starling on

guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected stri ...

and lead vocals,

on Dobro and baritone vocals, and former Country Gentlemen member

on bass. The

ist

, who had also performed with the Country Gentlemen,Rosenberg, Neil V.
''Bluegrass: A History''
University of Illinois Press, p. 329. was invited to jam sessions at the time when

arranged for the group to play as a performing band. Another member of the Country Gentlemen, Charlie Waller, is responsible for the band's name. Expressing his doubt that this new band could succeed, Waller reportedly asked Duffey, "What are you going to call yourselves, the seldom seen?" The band had weekly performances at clubs and performed regularly at the Red Fox Inn, a music club in Bethesda Maryland. The band switched over to the Birchmere music hall in

Alexandria, Virginia Alexandria is an independent city (United States), independent city in the northern region of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Virginia, United States. It lies on the western bank of the Potomac River approximately south of Downto ...

, which resulted in a residency.

Members' backgrounds

Each of the band members had a job during the week; Duffey repaired musical instruments, Eldridge was a mathematician, Starling a physician, Auldridge a graphic artist, and Gray a

cartographer Cartography (; from grc, χάρτης , "papyrus, sheet of paper, map"; and , "write") is the study and practice of making and using maps. Combining science, aesthetics and technique, cartography builds on the premise that reality (or an im ...

with

National Geographic ''National Geographic'' (formerly the ''National Geographic Magazine'', sometimes branded as NAT GEO) is a popular American monthly magazine published by National Geographic Partners. Known for its photojournalism, it is one of the most widely ...

. They agreed to play one night a week at local clubs, perform occasionally at concerts and festivals on weekends, and make records. After playing for six weeks at a small Washington, D.C., club called the Rabbit's Foot, the group found a home at the Red Fox Inn in Bethesda, Maryland. They performed at that venue Friday nights from January 1972 through September 1977 before starting weekly performances at the Birchmere music hall.

Rise to popularity (1972–1976)

The

progressive bluegrass Bluegrass music is a genre of American roots music that developed in the 1940s in the Appalachian region of the United States. The genre derives its name from the band Bill Monroe and the Blue Grass Boys. Like mainstream country music, it lar ...

style played by the Seldom Scene had become increasingly popular during the 1970s, especially Duffey's high tenor and the vocal blend of Duffey/Starling/Auldridge. Their weekly shows included bluegrass versions of country music, rock, and even classical pop. The band's popularity soon forced them to play more than once a week —but they continued to maintain their image as being seldom seen, and on several of their early album covers were photographed with the stage lights on only their feet, or with their backs to the camera. Though the Scene remained a non-touring band, they were prolific recorders, producing seven albums in their first five years of existence, including one live album (among the first live bluegrass albums).

John Starling's departure and Phil Rosenthal as lead singer (1977–1986)

In 1977, John Starling left the group to focus on his medical career, and was replaced by singer and songwriter Phil Rosenthal, whose song "Muddy Water" had been recorded by the Scene on two earlier albums. Starling and Rosenthal shared their lead vocals on the group's sixth studio album, ''

'' (recorded in 1978). Around the same time, the group switched record labels from

Rebel A rebel is a participant in a rebellion. Rebel or rebels may also refer to: People * Rebel (given name) * Rebel (surname) * Patriot (American Revolution), during the American Revolution * American Southerners, as a form of self-identification; ...

to Sugar Hill. Starling recorded a solo album for Sugar Hill in 1980 called "Long Time Gone" and another in 1982 called "Waitin' On a Southern Train", on both of which Mike Auldridge played. The lineup of Rosenthal-Duffey-Gray-Auldridge-Eldridge recorded five albums of a comparable popularity to the ones with the founding members, including John Starling. Rosenthal proved to be as good lead singer as Starling and his baritone voice contrasted well with Duffey's high tenor extravaganzas. He also wrote typically two to three songs on each of the albums and also added acoustic guitar solos to the group.

More changes in lineup (1986–1996)

In 1986, Phil Rosenthal and Tom Gray both left the band to focus on other pursuits, and were replaced by

and T. Michael Coleman, respectively. Coleman proved to be very controversial, as many purists objected to his use of an electric bass in what is nominally an acoustic genre, but the albums produced by the band after Coleman's arrival maintained the traditional appeal of any of the Scene's earlier albums. Reid left the band in 1992, and Duffey convinced former member John Starling to return to the band for the next year.''All music guide to country: the definitive guide to country music''
Backbeat Books, Page 679. During that year the Scene recorded the album '' Like We Used to Be'', but Starling did not wish to stay with the band long term. He was replaced in 1994 by lead singer Moondi Klein. Throughout these changes, band leader John Duffey's original plan of keeping a light touring schedule and staying close to home continued to prevail. During 1995 and 1996, Klein and Coleman, along with original member

, wanting to be part of a full-time project, left the Seldom Scene to form a new band called

. For a time the Scene stopped recording. Duffey and Eldridge, the two remaining original members, recruited resophonic guitar player Fred Travers, bassist Ronnie Simpkins, and guitarist and singer

to join the band, and the reconstituted group recorded an album in 1996 and continued live appearances.

John Duffey's death, return of Lou Reid, and ''Scene It All'' (2000–1996)

In late 1996, band leader and founder John Duffey suffered a fatal heart attack. Banjoist Ben Eldridge, the sole remaining original member of the Seldom Scene, assumed leadership of the band. Former guitarist Lou Reid rejoined the band, replacing Duffey on mandolin. Initially the new Scene concentrated on live performances, but in 2000 the group recorded a new album, ''

''. The Seldom Scene continues to tour, and has recorded for the Sugar Hill Records and Smithsonian Folkways labels.

''Scenechronized'', ''Long Time... Seldom Scene'', and ''Changes'' (2007–present)

Seldom Scene continues to perform and has received critical acclaim for their work. ''

'', recorded in 2007, was nominated for a

. In July 2008, Seldom Scene performed at a

White House The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. It is located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., and has been the residence of every U.S. president since John Adams in 1800. ...

dinner honoring the 2008 U.S. Olympic team as well as previous U.S. Olympians.Bluegrass Unlimited
Volume 42. 2008 Seldom Scene also played the National Folk Festival July 11–13, 2008, representing bluegrass music. On April 22, 2014, the band returned with '' Long Time... Seldom Scene'', via Smithsonian Folkways. The collection features interpretations of 16 oft-requested tunes and is the band's first studio album since the ''Scenechronized'' in 2007. In 2015, "Long Time...Seldom Scene" and "Mean Mother Blues" won awards in the "Bluegrass" Album and Song categories at The 14th Annual Independent Music Awards. In January 2016, Ben Eldridge retired after 44 continuous years with the band. He was replaced by Rickie Simpkins. In 2017,

Ron Stewart Ronald George Stewart (July 11, 1932 – March 17, 2012) was a Canadian professional ice hockey player in the National Hockey League (NHL) from 1952 to 1973, as well as a coach. He spent the first half of his career with the Toronto Maple Leafs, ...

joined the Seldom Scene, replacing Rickie Simpkins. In 2019, the Seldom Scene released the album ''Changes'', featuring songs by songwriters of the 1960s and early 1970s, through Rounder Records. The band currently consists of Dudley Connell (guitar/lead vocals), Ron Stewart (banjo/fiddle/guitar), Lou Reid (mandolin/tenor vocals), Fred Travers (dobro/lead vocals), and Ronnie Simpkins (bass/baritone vocals). Ben Eldridge's son,

Chris Chris is a short form of various names including Christopher, Christian, Christina, Christine, and Christos. Chris is also used as a name in its own right, however it is not as common. People with the given name * Chris Abani (born 1966), N ...

, also frequently performs with the group.

Personnel

Members

;Current members *

– mandolin, guitar, vocals (1986–1993, 1996–present) * Dudley Connell – guitar, vocals (1995–present) * Ronnie Simpkins – bass (1995–present) * Fred Travers – Dobro, vocals (1995–present) *

– banjo, fiddle (2017–present) ;Former members *

– mandolin, vocals (1971–1996; died 1996) *

– Dobro, vocals (1971–1995; died 2012) *

– bass (1971–1986) * John Starling – guitar, vocals (1971–1978, 1993–1994; died 2019) *

– banjo, guitar (1971–2016) * Phil Rosenthal – guitar, vocals (1977-1986) * T. Michael Coleman – bass (1986–1995) * Moondi Klein – guitar, vocals (1994–1995) *

Rickie Simpkins Rickie Simpkins is an American fiddler and mandolinist in the bluegrass tradition. He is best known for his solo albums and his work with the Lonesome River Band and the Seldom Scene. Biography Early years Simpkins was raised in Christians ...

– banjo, fiddle, guitar (2016–2017)

Lineups

Timeline

ImageSize = width:900 height:auto barincrement:20 PlotArea = left:120 bottom:60 top:15 right:0 Alignbars = justify DateFormat = mm/dd/yyyy Period = from:01/01/1971 till:04/01/2018 TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal format:yyyy TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal format:yyyy Legend = orientation:vertical position:bottom ScaleMajor = increment:3 start:1971 ScaleMinor = increment:1 start:1971 Colors = id:guitar value:green legend:Guitar id:bass value:blue legend:Bass id:mandolin value:gray(0.5) legend:Mandolin id:banjo value:drabgreen legend:Banjo id:Dobro value:teal legend:Dobro id:lines value:black legend:Studio albums LineData = at:01/01/1972 color:black layer:back at:04/01/1973 color:black layer:back at:09/01/1973 color:black layer:back at:12/01/1973 color:black layer:back at:03/01/1976 color:black layer:back at:01/01/1978 color:black layer:back at:01/01/1979 color:black layer:back at:01/01/1981 color:black layer:back at:01/01/1983 color:black layer:back at:01/01/1985 color:black layer:back at:01/01/1988 color:black layer:back at:01/01/1990 color:black layer:back at:01/01/1994 color:black layer:back at:01/01/1996 color:black layer:back at:01/01/2007 color:black layer:back at:01/01/2014 color:black layer:back Legend = orientation:horizontal position:bottom ScaleMajor = increment:2 start:1971 PlotData= width:10 textcolor:black align:left anchor:from shift:(10,-4) bar:John Starling from:01/01/1971 till:02/01/1978 color:guitar bar:John Starling from:01/01/1993 till:01/01/1994 color:guitar bar:Phil Rosenthal from:01/01/1977 till:01/01/1986 color:guitar bar:Lou Reid from:01/01/1986 till:01/01/1993 color:guitar bar:Moondi Klein from:01/01/1994 till:01/01/1995 color:guitar bar:Dudley Connell from:01/01/1995 till:end color:guitar bar:Tom Gray from:01/01/1971 till:01/01/1986 color:bass bar:Michael Coleman from:01/01/1986 till:01/01/1995 color:bass bar:Ronnie Simpkins from:01/01/1995 till:end color:bass bar:John Duffey from:01/01/1971 till:01/01/1996 color:mandolin bar:Lou Reid from:01/01/1996 till:end color:mandolin bar:Ben Eldridge from:01/01/1971 till:01/01/2016 color:banjo bar:Rickie Simpkins from:01/01/2016 till:11/01/2017 color:banjo bar:Ron Stewart from:11/01/2017 till:end color:banjo bar:Mike Auldridge from:01/01/1971 till:01/01/1995 color:Dobro bar:Fred Travers from:01/01/1995 till:end color:Dobro

Discography

References

External links

* * * John Duffey/Seldom Scene biography http://johnduffeybook.com/ {{DEFAULTSORT:Seldom Scene Musical groups established in 1971 Musical groups from Maryland American bluegrass music groups Rebel Records artists Sugar Hill Records artists