BUTCH BALDASSARI (See also WEARY HEARTS, NASHVILLE MANDOLIN ENSEMBLE)

• From Scranton, Pennsylvania. Lives in Nashville.
• A mandolinist who grew up listening to the music of Frank Sinatra, Louis Prima and other classic pop stars. He was converted to bluegrass after attending the 1972 Philadelphia Folk Festival.
• 1977, moved to Las Vegas, Nevada. Worked as a croupier, running craps tables in the El Cortez and MGM Grand Casinos.
• 1986, joined the Arizona-based band Weary Hearts with Ron Block, Mike Bub and Chris Jones.
• 1989, moved to Nashville with Weary Hearts. The group disbanded shortly thereafter.
• 1990, released solo project Old Town (Rebel).
• 1991, formed The Nashville Mandolin Ensemble, a group that performs “Bach, Beethoven and Bill Monroe.”
• 1994-1998, worked with Larry Cordle and Lonesome Standard Time and the Kathy Chiavola Band. He also began recording mandolin instruction videos.
• 1996, he was named adjunct professor of mandolin at the Blair School of Music, Vanderbilt University.
• 1996, became vice president of the Classical Mandolin Society of America.
• 1996, joined Richard Greene’s band, The Grass is Greener.
• Founded his own record label SoundArt Recordings.
• 1997, formed the Nashville Mandolin Trio.
• 2002, wrote and produced “Blue Moon Over Kentucky,” a symphony for orchestra and mandolin featuring the music of Bill Monroe.
• 2009, died from brain cancer at age 56.