Charles Cline (June 6, 1931 in Baisden, Mingo County, West Virginia - November 19, 2004), was an American bluegrass fiddler and multi-instrumentalist, known for being the sideman of several legendary bluegrass groups from the 1950s and well into the 1980s.

Biography

Cline learned to play the fiddle properly from

Fiddlin' Arthur Smith Fiddlin' Arthur Smith (April 10, 1898 – February 28, 1971) was an American old time fiddler and a major influence on the old time and bluegrass music genres. Biography Smith was born and raised on a farm near Bold Springs, Tennessee, Un ...

, who lived in his parents house around the year 1940. In the late 1940s, Cline became a member of the Lonesome Pine Fiddlers, a radio band formed in 1937 based in

Bluefield, West Virginia Bluefield is a city in Mercer County, West Virginia, United States. The population was 9,658 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. It is the principal city of the Bluefield micropolitan area extending into Virginia, which had a populatio ...

. The band consisted of his brothers, Curly Ray Cline and Ned Cline, his cousin Ezra Cline, and Larry Richardson.

Cline's Time with Monroe & Later Career

Cline's Banjo player, Larry Richardson, had been offered a job with

Bill Monroe William Smith Monroe ( ; September 13, 1911 – September 9, 1996) was an American mandolinist, singer, and songwriter who created the bluegrass music genre. Because of this, he is often called the " Father of Bluegrass". The genre takes its n ...

's Bluegrass Boys in the early 1950s, and was instrumental in bringing Charlie Cline into the group. Cline recorded 32 songs with the Bluegrass Boys between 1952 and 1955, playing every instrument but the mandolin. Monroe brought Charlie Cline to the Stanley Brothers recording session, where they recorded their duet version of Blue Moon of Kentucky. Charlie Cline played the guitar on the recording in the style that Clyde Moody once played. It was the first time that lead guitar was used on the Stanley Brothers recordings - which would soon become an essential part of their sound. Charlie Cline was also a part of the famous back-stage jam with Monroe that led Carlton Haney to develop his passion for bluegrass music. In the following years, he continued to perform with the Lonesome Pine Fiddlers,

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, The

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and

Jimmy Martin James Henry Martin (August 10, 1927 – May 14, 2005) was an American bluegrass singer and musician, known as the "King of Bluegrass". Early years Martin was born in Sneedville, Tennessee, United States, and was raised in the hard farming l ...

's Sunny Mountain Boys. In 1986, he appeared with the Warrior River Boys. Cline died in 2004 at Shadescrest Healthcare Center in

Jasper, Alabama Jasper is a city in and the county seat of Walker County, Alabama, United States. Its population was 14,352 as of the 2010 census. Named in honor of Sergeant William Jasper, an American Revolutionary War hero, Jasper was settled around 1815 a ...

. Cline was one of the many fiddlers who was given the opportunity to play on Bristol's famous WCYB radio station, which played a large role in bluegrass music in the late 40's through the 60's.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cline, Charlie 1931 births 2004 deaths American bluegrass fiddlers Musicians from West Virginia 20th-century American fiddlers 21st-century American fiddlers Blue Grass Boys members People from Mingo County, West Virginia Musicians from Bluefield, West Virginia