Blue Grass Boy Tater Tate dies
Friday, October 19, 2007 – Clarence "Tater" Tate, who had two different stints playing for Bill Monroe, died Thursday at 77.
Tate first joined the Blue Grass Boys as a fiddler in the late 1950s, replacing Bobby Hicks when he was drafted. Tate stayed with Monroe for about six months.
About 30 years later, Tate returned to the band as a bassist. When Kenny Baker left Monroe in 1984, Tate temporarily took over the fiddling chores. For the rest of Monroe's life (he died in 1996), Tate switched between bass and fiddle as needed.
Tate played fiddle with performers including Hylo Brown, the Bailey Brothers, and Carl Story in the 1950s. He joined Red Smiley's Bluegrass Cutups in 1965, which became the Shenandoah Cutups after Smiley's retirement in 1969. In 1977, he left the Cutups to join Lester Flatt's Nashville Grass. He also played with the Cumberland Highlanders.
More news for Bill Monroe
- 06/05/17: Monroe items put up for sale
- 10/10/13: Former Blue Grass Boys' fiddler Shumate passes
- 01/27/09: Country Music Hall starts $1.1M fundraising effort, results from fraud case
CD reviews for Bill Monroe
This tribute to the father of bluegrass music was already in the finalproduction stage when Bill Monroe passed away in early September, so it becomes the first of what are sure to be many all-star celebrations of Big Mon's legacy.
Produced by bassist Todd Phillips, the album follows a current trend by creating one-time combinations of some of the top names in bluegrass.
The material concentrates on Monroe's early songwriting, with such familiar tunes as Molly and Tenbrooks, ...
Continuing their distinguished series of live recordings from the nationally syndicated radio show, "Mountain Stage," this release marks more than one milestone for Blue Plate Music. Recorded by Monroe and the Blue Grass Boys for broadcast in May 1989, it's the 20th in the "Best of Mountain Stage" series and also marks the first release of an album in the series by a single artist.
Monroe and the boys, along with singer/songwriter Diana Christian, tear through 13 of his ...
Ricky Skaggs has wrapped the cloak of Bill Monroe's legacy tightly around him over the past few years. However, one might feel about that, this star-laden country music tribute to Bill Monroe is more than just a curiosity item - it's an interesting collection of how various artists incorporate and honor tradition.
Some fit snugly into Monroe's timeless sound as if they'd been Bluegrass Boys (or Girls) themselves. Patty Loveless shows a classic bluegrass sensibility on ...
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