21 Years Ago Today, We Said Goodbye to the Legendary Fiddler Who Played With Flatt & Scruggs and Helped Usher in a New Era of Bluegrass

On this day (August 16) in 2005, Vassar Clements died of lung cancer at the age of 77. He was a self-taught fiddle player who started his professional career as a member of Bill Monroe’s legendary Blue Grass Boys. Later, he played with Flatt & Scruggs on their sole chart-topper. Clements was also involved in the folk revival of the 1970s and helped usher in “newgrass” alongside Jerry Garcia.

Clements taught himself how to play the fiddle when he was seven years old. At the time, jazz and big band music was popular. As a result, his later style reflected the styles of the bands who played behind artists like Glenn Miller, Tommy Dorsey, Harry James, and Les Brown. Later, he met bluegrass fiddler Chubby Wise, who was a friend of his stepfather and a member of Bill Monroe’s Blue Grass Boys.

Wise left the group in 1949, and Clements traveled from Florida to Nashville to audition to take his spot. The next day, he was a member of the band. He remained with Monroe’s outfit for the next eight years, according to the International Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame. He joined Monroe in the studio for his first Decca Records sessions in 1950. Clements played on “New Mule Skinner Blues,” “Blue Grass Ramble,” and “The Old Fiddler,” among others.

In 1958, after parting ways with Monroe, Clements joined the Virginia Boys, backing the duo Jim & Jesse. He recorded several songs with them for the Starday and Columbia labels. After leaving the Virginia Boys, he put his career on pause.

Vassar Clements Regroups

Vassar Clements had been plagued by alcohol abuse throughout his career. By the mid-1960s, it had gotten out of control, and he stepped away from music to regroup. He worked in a paper mill and as a railroad switchman. He also worked as a plumber at the Kennedy Space Center. Finally, in 1967, he got sober and returned to Nashville, where he began to build his reputation as a session musician.

The late 1960s saw Clements playing with Jimmy Martin’s Sunny Mountain Boys, Faron Young, and Bobby Smith & the Boys from Shiloh. Then, his career began to take off in the early 1970s.

Newgrass and Solo Work

In 1971, Clements joined John Hartford, Norman Blake, and Tut Taylor to form John Hartford’s Dobrolic Plectral Society. Their album Aereo-Plain was a landmark release in the “newgrass” or progressive bluegrass sound. Roughly a year later, he joined the Earl Scruggs Revue, furthering his connection to the new era of ‘grass.

Around this time, he recorded with Jimmy Buffett and the Grateful Dead. In 1973, when the Dead’s Jerry Garcia formed the bluegrass outfit Old and in the Way, he invited Clements to join. A year later, he played on Dickey Betts’ Highway Call.

In 1972, Clements played with the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band and a long list of folk, country, and old-time music legends on Will the Circle Be Unbroken. The album was a hit and introduced artists like Roy Acuff, Doc Watson, and Maybelle Carter to a new audience. It furthered the already growing folk music resurgence.

Clements also recorded several solo albums, including Hillbilly Jazz, Hillbilly Jazz Rides Again, and New Hillbilly Jazz, which showcased his signature blend of jazz, swing, and bluegrass.

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He released his final album, Livin’ with the Blues, in 2004. His last performance was in February 2005, months before his death.

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