Curly Seckler
This article's tone or style may not reflect the encyclopedic tone used on Wikipedia. (March 2012) |
Curly Seckler | |
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Birth name | John Ray Sechler |
Born | China Grove, North Carolina, U.S. | December 25, 1919
Died | December 27, 2017 (aged 98) Nashville, Tennessee, U.S. |
Genres | Bluegrass |
Occupation(s) |
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Instrument(s) |
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Years active | 1930sā2017 |
John Ray Sechler (December 25, 1919 ā December 27, 2017), known professionally as Curly Seckler, was an American bluegrass musician. He played with
Early years
John Ray Sechler was born to Carrie and Calvin Sechler in China Grove, North Carolina, on December 25, 1919.[1] He learned to play music from his parents during his formative years. His father, Calvin, played old time fiddle, harmonica, and autoharp, while his mother, Carrie, taught him how to play the organ. Seckler, like most of his local contemporaries, worked a life of labor in a local cotton mill with his brothers, though it did not hamper his musical development. Seckler found time to keep up his love for music, expanding his musical knowledge by picking up the five-string banjo. He learned to play the banjo from local musician, Happy Trexler.[2]
Career
In the early years of his professional career, Seckler accompanied his brothers, George and Duard, with
The Yodeling Rangers changed their name to The Trail Riders, began playing steadily throughout the Southeastern United States. They caught the eye of Charlie Monroe, brother of Bill Monroe and former guitarist of the Monroe Brothers. Monroe was looking for new musicians to play with on the emerging Bluegrass circuit and proposed that Seckler join him on tour. Seckler, then nineteen years old, agreed and received twenty dollars a week as payment.[2]
Seckler continued to enjoy success on the Bluegrass touring circuit, and in 1949 joined Lester Flatt, Earl Scruggs, and the rest of the
Later years and death
The International Bluegrass Music Association honored Seckler in 2004 by inducting him into its International Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame;[5] Seckler was inducted into the North Carolina Music Hall of Fame in 2010.[6] His release of "Sixty Years of Bluegrass with My Friends" in 2005 on the Copper Creek label solidified Seckler's place as one of the pioneers of the genre, and steward of customs and traditions. Throughout his career, Seckler played with Jim and Jesse McReynolds, Mac Wiseman, the Stanley Brothers, the Nashville Grass, Doyle Lawson, and many others. Seckler died in his sleep on December 27, 2017, just two days after his 98th birthday.[7][8]
Further reading
- Crawford, Richard (2001). America's Musical Life. A History. New York, New York: Norton & Company. pp. 743ā734. ISBN 978-0-393-32726-7.
- Goldsmith, Thomas (2004). The Bluegrass Reader. Illinois: University Of Illinois Press. pp. 48, 73, 74, 107. ISBN 978-0-252-07365-6.
- Stanley, Ralph. "Man Of Constant Sorrow" Gotham Books. 2009. ISBN 978-1-592-40425-4
- Associated Press. "Curly Seckler". CurlySeckler.net. CurlySeckler.net. Retrieved September 28, 2011.
References
- ^ a b Parsons, Penny. 2016. Foggy Mountain Troubadour: The Life and Music of Curly Seckler. Champaign: University of Illinois Press.
- ^ a b c Rovi, Margaret Reges. "Curly Seckler Biography". CMT.com. AMG. Archived from the original on June 9, 2012. Retrieved September 28, 2011.
- ^ associatedpress [full citation needed]
- ^ "Curly Seckler Bio". www.curlyseckler.net. Retrieved 2020-11-01.
- ^ "International Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame". International Bluegrass Music Association. Archived from the original on 29 December 2017. Retrieved 28 December 2017.
- ^ "2010 Inductees". North Carolina Music Hall of Fame. Retrieved September 10, 2012.
- ^ "Bluegrass Pioneer Curly Seckler has Passed Away - Cybergrass Bluegrass Music News". Cybergrass.com. Retrieved 28 December 2017.
- ^ "Bluegrass Hall of Famer played alongside Flatt & Scruggs, remembered as 'unsung hero'". Newsobserver.com. Retrieved 28 December 2017.
External links
- Interview with Curly Seckler NAMM Oral History Library (2011)