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. When referring to a specific polity, the term "country" may refer to a sovereign state, state with limited recognition, constituent country, ...

fiddler, five-time National Fiddle Champion and a member of the Bluegrass Champs, the

Kentucky Colonels The Kentucky Colonels were an American professional basketball team based in Louisville, Kentucky. They competed in the American Basketball Association (ABA) from 1967 to 1976. The name is derived from the historic Kentucky Colonels. The Colo ...

, and the Stoneman Family band. He was one of 23 children of Ernest Stoneman 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 V ...

. 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, DC Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and Federal district of the United States, federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from ...

, area led to a guest spot on the ''

Grand Ole Opry The ''Grand Ole Opry'' is a regular live country music, country-music Radio broadcasting, radio broadcast originating from Nashville, Tennessee, Nashville, Tennessee, on WSM (AM), WSM, held between two and five nights per week, depending on the ...

'' show in 1962, and an eventual move to Nashville. Stoneman left his family band in 1964 to join the

. He was praised by

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 Wale ...

musician

Jerry Garcia Jerome John Garcia (August 1, 1942 – August 9, 1995) was an American musician who was the lead guitarist and a vocalist with the rock band Grateful Dead, which he co-founded and which came to prominence during the counterculture of the 196 ...

of the

Grateful Dead The Grateful Dead was an American rock music, rock band formed in Palo Alto, California, in 1965. Known for their eclectic style that fused elements of rock, blues, jazz, Folk music, folk, country music, country, bluegrass music, bluegrass, roc ...

, who referred to him as "the bluegrass

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

." Having struggled with alcoholism throughout his life, Stoneman stopped playing music in the early '70s 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 20th-century American fiddlers Kentucky Colonels (band) members {{US-country-musician-stub