A Look at Who Built the San Diego Bluegrass Community

Have you ever been curious as to why bluegrass music and culture is so prominent in San Diego? There’s more bluegrass going on in San Diego than in many other parts of the U.S., including more than in the much larger Los Angeles area. There are many reasons for this phenomenon, but one of them is undoubtedly the prominence of key bluegrass and folk stars with ties to our area. Here is a rundown on a few:

· Chris Hillman grew up in Rancho Santa Fe and was part of the 1960’s bluegrass movement in San Diego. He played with the Scottsville Squirrel Barkers, arguably the first prominent San Diego bluegrass band. He later became a founding member of the Byrds, joined the Desert Rose Band, and more, landing himself in the Hall of Fame. He still performs bluegrass as a duet with Herb Pederson.

· Nick Reynolds, a founding member of the Kingston Trio, grew up in Coronado. Nick and the Kingston Trio influenced many of the countless folk and bluegrass musicians who followed.

· Stuart Duncan grew up in Santa Paula, California, but spent much of his youth in San Diego. He was a star at the tender age of 12, and performed locally as a teen with fellow youth standout Alison Brown. Stuart went on to play and record with just about everyone who mattered. He is generally regarded as the best living bluegrass fiddle player and is still going strong.

· Alison Brown grew up in La Jolla and went on to achieve acclaim as a standout banjo and guitar player and as co-founder with husband Garry West, of Compass Records.

· Kenny Wertz, who grew up in San Diego and now lives in Arizona, was a founding member of the Scottsville Squirrel Barkers, along with Bernie Leadon who later joined the Eagles, and Chris Hillman who founded the Byrds. Kenny went on to play guitar and banjo and sing tenor with several acclaimed bands including the Flying Burrito Brothers and Country Gazette. He was also a key member of the local band Down the Road.

· Sean and Sara Watkins, a sister brother team, were founding members of Nickel Creek. They grew up in Vista and spent many early years as part of the San Diego bluegrass scene.

· Chris Thile, likewise grew up in Vista and spent many years in the San Diego bluegrass scene as a youth. When they were quite young before taking off to international stardom, Sean, Sara, and Chris performed locally as The Seldom Clean.

· Dennis Caplinger was also from the Vista area. He performed at the highest level on banjo, fiddle, guitar, and dobro. He taught Sara Watkins to play fiddle. He had a long and distinguished career recording and performing, notably as a founding member of Bluegrass Etc.

It wasn’t just young San Diego musicians who went on to stardom that put San Diego on the bluegrass map. It was also key leaders in related fields:

· Greg and Janet Deeering have called San Diego home for many years. It is in San Diego that they founded their Deering Banjo Company, which went on to become the largest banjo maker in the world. Their high-end and affordable Goodtime banjo dominate the field.

· Bob Taylor founded Taylor Guitars in El Cajon, in 1974, and it’ s still going strong. Along with the Martin Guitar Co., Taylor dominates the acoustic guitar field.

· Lou Curtiss founded Folk Arts Rare Records and hosted numerous concerts and events at San Diego State. He was founder of the San Diego Folk Festival in the 1960s. He went on as an early promoter and host of Bluegrass Day at the Del Mar Fair.

· Bob Page was the founder of Buffalo Brothers Guitars, which, during its era, was the dominant guitar seller in the country. He also ran Old Time Music in San Diego for a time. Anyone who was anyone in the bluegrass world passed through and met Bob.

· Jim Soldi took over and ran his father’s music store in El Cajon. The shop was opened by his dad in the 1950s and was run by Jim and his siter for many years. Jim also performed with Johnny Cash for seven years and with Ricky Sklaggs for two years.

No one person can claim they founded the San Diego Bluegrass Scene. It was a combination of these folks and many others. A key role was also played by the non-profit organizations that took it on themselves to sponsor, promote, and nurture San Diego’s bluegrass scene. In a future issue we’ll take a look at the key non-profit organizations and the early venues that helped make bluegrass music so prominent in San Diego.

Dwight Worden, who has been writing a bluegrass column for the Troubadour since its beginning, plays guitar, fiddle, mandolin, and bass and is active in several bluegrass bands and organizations. He is a board member of the San Diego Bluegrass Society, a prior board member of the International Bluegrass Music Association, a recovering lawyer, a Del Mar council member for 10 years, and mayor of the City of Del Mar for two years.