|
Very sad to hear of Mayne's passing away last week at age 86. Mayne explained that he had written an article titled "An Introduction to Bluegrass" published in the Journal of American Folklore in 1965, which is considered a foundational piece for the academic study of bluegrass music. The article was based on his master's thesis from Indiana University and helped open the door to serious scholarly research on the genre. Mayne and I jammed a few times in L.A., and then Mayne introduced me to Herb Steiner who was an excellent mandolin player and new to pedal steel (but already playing with Linda Ronstadt).Shortly after that, Mayne, Herb and I played a bluegrass set at the Ash Grove, the hotspot for folk and bluegrass music in L.A. Mayne had a wry sense of humor: I remember Mayne teaching Herb and me how to perform a little comedic sketch: "How much does a monkey weigh?" for the Ash Grove gig, which I used years later when I played a bluegrass/country show with Jim Lauderdale (before he moved to Nashville and became a successful songwriter). In 1984, I moved to the SF Bay Area and learned that Mayne had moved there also. I went to see him playing Dobro and pedal steel with his band "Alternate Roots", and we reconnected for a bit.As time passed, Mayne developed some health issues and became somewhat reclusive, so I am sorry to say that we lost touch with each other. The eerie thing is that, out of the blue, I was thinking about trying to reconnect with Mayne just a day or two before he passed away--I'm sorry that I didn't act sooner! More about Mayne's musical life at: https://www.last.fm/music/Mitch+Greenhi ... mith/+wiki - Dave (责任编辑：) |