Bruce Molsky

During the 1970s there was a resurgence of interest in the traditional music of rural America that has come to be known generically as "old-time" music, particularly in the driving, rhythmic string band sound of the southern Appalachian and Blue Ridge mountains. Like many people who discovered this music during their high school and college years, New York City native Bruce Molsky was drawn to it as much by the social and communal side of it as by the power and drive of the music itself. Born of an age when isolated communities gathered to play and dance for their own entertainment, old-time music invites and encourages participation by musicians of all levels, with jam sessions often featuring professional musicians playing alongside those whose music-making is on little more than a casual basis. Along with bluegrass, old-time music may have less of a performer/audience division than any other form of music. Unlike the more socially-oriented players, though, Molsky's analytical mind -- he was a mechanical engineer by training -- was able to comprehend the many subtleties and complexities that allowed some of these rural musicians to stand out as indisputable geniuses. He also entered the music at a time when many of these "source" musicians were still living, performing, and happy to share their knowledge with the younger crowd. By the time the 1990s rolled around, Molsky had established himself at the top of most every old-time music fan's list of fiddlers and banjo players. Born in the Bronx in 1955, Molsky began his musical life as a guitarist after his parents suggested that playing an instrument might be a good hobby. After a year or so of lessons, he was hooked and dreaming of a career as a bluegrass guitarist. While in college at Cornell he began meeting a...