Fiddler and Pennsylvania native Buddy Spicher was one of country music's most prolific studio session players of the 1960s and '70s -- it's hard to find up a Nashville album of that era and not see his name in the credits. Spicher played on countless records, including many of his own solo albums. Here's a quick look at his work...
The Rainbow Ranch Gang "We're Movin' On" (Cumberland Records, 1965) (LP)
The Nashville Fiddles "Volume One" (Little Darlin' Records, 1969) (LP)
Buddy Spicher "Buddy Spicher's American Sampler" (Flying Fish, 1976) (LP)
(Produced by Michael Melford)
Spicher emerges from the studios into the solo-artist spotlight with this far-ranging set that mixes standards, oldies and newer material, including the ragtime of Scott Joplin, jazz tunes such as "Take The A-Train," Stephen Foster's "Old Kentucky Home" and Appalachian airs such as "Jennie Lynn..." In this authoritative survey of American popular music, Spicher unfortunately had to cover disco-y contemporary tunes such as "Fly Robin Fly," as well as a spin at John Denver's "Take Me Home Country Roads" and Stevie Wonder's "Sunshine Of My Life." Can't say I'm all that into the rock-pop stuff, but I think Spicher was: those songs sound particularly cheesy, but his performances are exuberant and cheerful. A mixed bag, but of course it was meant to be.
Buddy Spicher "Yesterday & Today" (Direct Disk, 1977) (LP)
Buddy Spicher & Buddy Emmons "Buddies" (Flying Fish Records, 1977) (LP)
Buddy Spicher "Me And My Heroes" (Flying Fish Records, 1978) (LP)
Buddy Spicher & Benny Martin "The Great American Fiddle Collection" (CMH Records, 1981) (LP)
Buddy Spicher "Fiddle Classics, v.1" (Flying Fish Records, 1978) (LP)
Buddy Spicher "Front Porch Fiddle" (Sector Records, 2000)
Buddy Spicher & Vassar Clements "Runaway Fiddle" (OMS Records, 2004)
