Greene, Richard

RICHARD GREENE

  • From Los Angeles.
  • An influential fiddler who worked with Bill Monroe (1966-67) and the short-lived Muleskinner band with Clarence White, Bill Keith and Peter Rowan (1973).
  • While working with Monroe, he invented “the fiddle chop” which is a bowing technique similar to the mandolin chop that is used to play rhythm.
  • First band: The Dry City Scat Band (1963). Others: The Pine Valley Boys (1964), The Greenbriar Boys (1965), Jim Kweskin’s Jug Band (1968), Seatrain (1969), The Great American Music Band (early 1970’s, with David Grisman).
  • First solo project: Duets (Rounder) in 1977, featuring Tony Rice, Tony Trischka, J.D. Crowe and others.
  • Has recorded and toured with Bruce Springsteen, Henry Mancini, Loggins and Messina, Maria Muldaur, Burt Bacharach, Peter Rowan, others.
  • He is an award-winning photographer. Some of his photos are on display in the Smithsonian Photo Gallery in Washington, D.C.
  • 1985, formed the Greene String Quartet (a jazz ensemble).
  • 1991, released The Greene Fiddler album (Sierra Records).
  • 1993, formed The Grass is Greener, a bluegrass band that at the time included a 12-year-old Chris Thile.
  • 2005, teamed up with The Brothers Barton (Paul and Loren Barton of Bakersfield, California) to released Shufflin’album (no label).