Seldom Scene
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Since its inception in 1971, the Seldom Scene has thrived on playing bluegrass a little differently than everyone else. If other bands used a fiddler, the Seldom Scene used a Dobro; if others relied on old standards, the Seldom Scene played rock classics like J.J. Cale's "After Midnight." Through skilled musicianship and an urban approach to bluegrass, the Seldom Scene has become one of the most influential -- if not the most influential -- bluegrass band of the last 30 years.
The band formed in a basement in Bethesda Maryland and went on to become one of the preeminent bluegrass bands in the world. Its original members:John Duffey (mandolin/tenor), John Starling (guitar/lead), Mike Auldridge (dobro/baritone), Ben Eldridge (banjo) and Tom Gray (bass/bass) created a sound rooted in traditional Bluegrass while encompasing new songs by John Prine, James Taylor, Paul Craft and many others. Duffey's stratospheric tenor anchored the group, but the vocal blend of Duffey/Starling/Auldridge set a new standard that attracted new audiences to what had been until then a niche music. Richard Dress, an early fan and friend of the band described the Seldom Scene as "shockingly good." He wasn't alone. Over the next decade of performances at bluegrass festivals across the country and at the Birchmere club in Alexandria, Va., the band made its indellible mark on a generation of listeners and musicians.
The Seldom Scene continues today with mostly new members: Dudley Connell (guitar/lead), Ben Eldridge (banjo), Lou Reid (mandolin/tenor), Fred Travers (dobro/lead), Chris Eldridge (guitar) and Ronnie Simkins (bass/baritone).
Discography
- Act I (Rebel, 1972)
- Act II (Rebel, 1973)
- Act III (Rebel, 1973)
- Old Train (Rebel, 1973)
- Live At The Cellar Door (Rebel, 1975)
- The New Seldom Scene Album (Rebel, 1976)
- Baptizing (Rebel, 1978)
- Act IV (Sugar Hill, 1979)
- After Midnight (Sugar Hill, 1981)
- At The Scene (Sugar Hill, 1983)
- Blue Ridge w/Jonathon Edwards (Sugar Hill, 1985)
- 15th Anniversary Celebration (Sugar Hill, 1986)
- A Change Of Scenery (Sugar Hill, 1988)
- Scenic Roots (Sugar Hill, 1990)
- Scene 20: 20th Anniversary Concert (Sugar Hill, 1992)
- Like We Used To Be (Sugar Hill, 1994)
- Dream Scene (Sugar Hill, 1996)
- Scene It All (Sugar Hill, 2000)
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