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From: david@varian.UUCP (David Brown)
Newsgroups: net.music.folk
Subject: Tommy Jarrell 1901-1985
Message-ID: <292@varian.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 29-Jan-85 19:59:16 EST
Article-I.D.: varian.292
Posted: Tue Jan 29 19:59:16 1985
Date-Received: Sat, 2-Feb-85 00:37:02 EST
Distribution: net
Organization: Varian, Walnut Creek, CA
Lines: 22

I'm sad to report that Tommy Jarrell, the great old-time fiddler and
fretless banjo player from Toast, N.C. (outside Mt. Airy) passed away a
couple of days ago. He had had gall bladder surgery last week, and
contracted pneumonia while recovering.  He was 83.

He was an inspiration to a lot of the young old-time musicians on both
coasts. His house was a major stop on the east coast pilgrimages that
myself and a lot of other west coast musicians occasionally make during
the summer -- I've heard him referred to as St. Thomas of Toast.  He was
always welcoming to visitors and would play tunes all night with anyone
who showed up.

His music is preserved on several LP's (the ones on County are probably
the easiest to obtain -- the latest ("Picking on Tommy's Porch") was
released just a few months ago) and hundreds (or possibly thousands)
of cassette tapes recorded by musicians during their visits --
perhaps we'll see some more albums come out of these tapes.

-- 
	David Brown	 (415) 945-2199
	Varian Instruments 2700 Mitchell Dr.  Walnut Creek, Ca. 94598
	{zehntel,amd,fortune,resonex,rtech}!varian!david