Clarence 'Tater' Tate

The Bluegrass Blog reports the sad news that Clarence 'Tater' Tate, one of the most distinctive bluegrass fiddlers, died on Wednesday 17 October at the age of 76, after a long struggle with lung cancer. His obituary in the Johnson City Press can be read here.

In Tater's long musical career, he played fiddle with Wilma Lee Cooper, Red Smiley & the Bluegrass Cutups, Lester Flatt & the Nashville Grass, and Bill Monroe & the Blue Grass Boys, with whom he also played bass. His style was marked by his use of double stops, but above all by his clean, direct, and powerfully rhythmic melodic line. There was nothing flabby, superfluous, or 'fiddly' about his playing; he could be identified, without prompting, on record after the first few notes. His legacy continues through the students whom he instructed in the East Tennessee State University bluegrass programme.