My mom strongly encouraged each of her kids to try an instrument (thanks Mom!) and I chose violin in sixth grade. I played for a year until discovering that sports and violin playing don’t necessarily agree with each other, and I quit. Worst mistake of my life, but one I am trying to make up for now. Amazingly, I still play the same violin mom bought for me back in the 6th grade. (Thanks again, Mom!)
Started playing again in college in some great bands with great names in Ohio – The Empty Bottles Band, The Water-tower Wobblers, and then Buckeye Ridge – who played major regional festivals, and even opened for George Jones, J.D. Crowe, and Doc Watson. Oh – the good old days. Under the pictures section, you will see Buckeye Ridge opening for one of these at Stone Valley, and if you look close you will see I had hair at one time. (I might’ve changed in other ways, too!)
Played with the Connecticut River Ramblers for a year or so out of graduate school in 1983-84 – and then life (family, work, work travel) all slowly but surely got in the way. I did not really play again seriously at all until mid-2017. That’s a 33 year gap – darn it.
I am seemingly now making up for lost time. Played in 2018 through early 2020 with Saddle Up the Chicken, filled in many times with Greystone Rail, played with recording artist Mary Pierce Hurwitz, and with many others as needed. I now play as much as possible with Country Wild Heart Band (CWHB) and To Be Continued Band (TBCB). See the separate CWHB and TBCB sections for more on them. I participate in Rhode Island Bluegrass Alliance (RIBA) jam sessions, and many others around the state and in South County. I also do solo gigs at times, just me and my guitar (I branched out), doing originals and covers, as well as weddings and funerals (solo or with others).
Check out my Facebook page too:
https://www.facebook.com/kevin.vidmar.73