David Grisman, Mike Marshall,
Caterina Lichtenberg, TW, Don Stiernberg, Mike Compton, and
Rich Del Grosso: Faculty of Mandolin
Symposium "07
TW, Sam Bush, David Grisman at Merlefest
TW and Mike Marshall in Brazil
'07
Ralph Stanley, Tony and Gary Williamson
A
World Class Performer
“Nearly 45,000
people crowded into Meredith College Park in Raleigh, NC on Sunday
September 1 to hear Pops In The Park. This program featured
the North
Carolina Symphony Orchestra with guest Tony Williamson on mandolin.
This
marks the first use of the mandolin in the Symphony’s illustrious 75
year
history. Williamson , who recorded his version of Selected Disney
classics on his CD, “Across The Grain” , was featured on a delightful
program of
Disney movie themes. William Curry conducted the concert which
was
broadcast on WRAL-TV5 .” Since then, Tony’s performances have
received
standing ovations at “La Citadelle” in Montreal and at the
Merlefest
Midnight Jam in 1994. Tony has performed with the North Carolina
Symphony
and the Duke University Symphony, and has also organized delightful
impromptu mandolin “orchestras” at Merlefest (with guests John
Cowan, Tim O’Brien, Mark Shatz, Tut Taylor and 16 others) and at the
Old Settler’s Day in Round Rock, Texas (with David Grisman, Buck White
and Grisman Quintet members).
Other recent performances include the Mandolin Summit held at the
International School in Atlanta, Georgia; Hotel Wellington in
Manhattan, New York City; and Michael Feldman’s “Whaddaya
know”, for National Public Radio. He also organized a tribute to
Jethro Burns with a mandolin trio consisting of mandolin legends David
Grisman and Sam Bush playing with Williamson at the 1995 Merlefest
Midnight Jam.
Green Valley Ramblers 1972: standing left to right, Bill Mollman, Gary Williamson, Albert Vestal; kneeling, Tony Williamson.
One
Man, Many Mandolins
“Mandolin
virtuoso Tony Williamson. sure can play, and what he doesn’t know about
mandolins, nobody does.” This is how the Acoustic Musician
magazine described Tony Williamson’s performances, which have included
the Airforce museum in Savannah, GA with fiddle legend Vassar Clements
and Jeff and Bobby Autry. Tony’s new album, “Still Light of the
Evening” was chosen as one of the five best Bluegrass albums of the
year by the Chicago Tribune.. This remarkable recording has also
received great notices from Sing Out! and Bluegrass Unlimited.
Tony Williamson has been featured on mandolin at a number of venues,
including with David Grisman at the Woodruff Center in Atlanta, GA and
for vocal legend Luciano Pavarotti at a post-concert reception in
Raleigh, NC. Tony is also included in the Mel Bay book “Mandolin
Masters: Featuring solos by the world’s finest
mandolinists.”
Williamson can also be heard on many CD releases, including
“Across the Grain”, “Living On the Hallelujah Side” and “Christmas at
Doobie
Shea”, which were produced by Tim Austin of Doobie Shea Records. Tony
received an Indie nomination in Southern Gospel music for his album
“Let
Us Cross Over the River”. These albums showcase Williamson’s style with
supporting musicians that include Dan Tyminski and Jerry Douglas,
(both featured in the hit movie & soundtrack “O Brother Where Art
Thou”)..
Mike Marshall, TW and Don Stiernberg
Bringing
Diversity to Mandolin Music
Tony
Williamson has performed in many different musical genres and
ensembles, including Bluegrass acts like the Bluegrass Alliance in 1976
and 1977 (a band whose alumni also includes Vince Gill, Dan
Crary, Sam Bush and Tony Rice). Also during this time,
Williamson performed classical mandolin with Duke University
Symphony Orchestra, jazz mandolin with “Champagne Charlie”, and as
studio musician appeared on record with many different
artists and musical styles including John Hartford, Mike Cross,Bobby
Hicks,
Ricky Skaggs, Bill Clifton, Mike Seeger, Vassar Clements, Jerry
Douglas, Jimmy Murphy, John Duffy and Tom Gray.Mandolin
Central Beginnings
On January 1,
1990, Tony Williamson founded Mandolin Central, which has now become an
international resource of mandolin lore, vintage instruments and
accessories. Mandolin Central has also become the #1
worldwide distributor of flight cases by Calton of Canada.
Bringing
the Mandolin Back to the Forefront of American Music
During the
turn-of-the-century America, the mandolin experienced a popularity that
can be described as a “rage”
or a “craze.” This once beloved instrument was nearly
forgotten.
The mandolin, however, has now made a dramatic comeback nearly
100
years later. Tony Williamson’s “The Sound of the American
Mandolin”
makes a strong case for this comeback, as his playing delights
audiences
and his discussions inform and entertain. As a logical offshoot
of
his work at Mandolin Central, one of the leading resources for vintage
musical instruments.
Instrument
List / Recording s
/ CD store / E-mail Us / Calton Cases / Links / Tony Williamson Promo Page /