Obit: Eric Weissberg (1939-2020)

Subject: Obit: Eric Weissberg (1939-2020)
From: Joe Offer
Date: 22 Mar 20 - 11:35 PM

I saw on Facebook that there was unverified information that Eric Weissberg had died. His Wikipedia Page says he died today, March 22. Haven't found any details yet.

Subject: RE: Obit: Eric Weissberg (1939-2020)
From: cnd
Date: 23 Mar 20 - 12:18 AM

That's a shame, that man was a hell of a banjo player.

Subject: RE: Obit: Eric Weissberg (1939-2020)
From: GUEST,henryp
Date: 23 Mar 20 - 04:58 AM

He played a great, great role in folk music. I'm so sorry, that's a great loss.

We saw him in New York accompanying Tom Paxton. Tom let him play Duelling Banjos, of course. He turned to Tom and said, Do you think you can keep up? Tom made a valiant effort!

His wife came from Worthing, England. In summer they would tour England by motorbike.

Subject: RE: Obit: Eric Weissberg (1939-2020)
From: GUEST, henryp
Date: 23 Mar 20 - 05:25 AM

Here he is with Judy Collins and, I think, Chuck Israels.

Turn Turn Turn 1966

Subject: RE: Obit: Eric Weissberg (1939-2020)
From: GUEST,Hootennanny
Date: 23 Mar 20 - 06:12 AM

Not just a hell of a banjo player but an excellent multi instrumentalist.

Subject: RE: Obit: Eric Weissberg (1939-2020)
From: GUEST,Jerry
Date: 23 Mar 20 - 07:16 AM

That’s sad. He did as much as Earl Scruggs did in inspiring a whole generation of banjo players, but in his case in the melodic and chromatic style.

Subject: RE: Obit: Eric Weissberg (1939-2020)
From: voyager
Date: 23 Mar 20 - 10:53 AM

Deliverance (RIP) to Eric Weissberg

Subject: RE: Obit: Eric Weissberg (1939-2020)
From: Bat Goddess
Date: 23 Mar 20 - 05:56 PM

He's very much missed.

"New Dimensions In Banjo and Bluegrass" is amazing. I've owned it in vinyl since it came out.

Has anyone digitized it? I've owned the vinyl for a million years and would kill (figuratively, FIGURATIVELY!) to have it on CD. I search every so often, but no joy.

(Whereas I've found a couple other impossible to find LPs on CD via Korea and Japan — the Topic LP -- Fisher Family -- came with the cover being a reduction of the LP jacket but with a Japanese insert and edge overlay. And I found "The Great Metropolitan Steam Band" available from Korea.)

Linn

Subject: RE: Obit: Eric Weissberg (1939-2020)
From: GUEST,Starship
Date: 23 Mar 20 - 06:18 PM

BG: Here it is on YouYube.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Rf7Lo-4kt4

Subject: RE: Obit: Eric Weissberg (1939-2020)
From: Felipa
Date: 23 Mar 20 - 06:48 PM

I first became aware of Weissberg as a musician doing backup for the Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem

Subject: RE: Obit: Eric Weissberg (1939-2020)
From: GUEST,henryp
Date: 23 Mar 20 - 07:50 PM

This is the first recording listed on his Wikipedia page.

The Boys Won't Leave the Girls Alone (The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Maken, 1962)
Rothsea-O Banjo – Eric Weissberg
South Australia Banjo – Eric Weissberg

Subject: RE: Obit: Eric Weissberg (1939-2020)
From: PHJim
Date: 24 Mar 20 - 01:12 AM

I first saw him at McMaster University in the early sixties. He was playing banjo and guitar with the Tarriers who were guests on Oscar Brand's TV show Let's Sing Out.
I later saw him at the 1964 Mariposa Folk Festival as the bass player for the Greenbriar Boys.
sometime in the sixties I bought his and Marshall Brickman's "New Dimensions In Banjo & Bluegrass and that was my introduction to melodic banjo playing as well as my introduction to Clarence White's guitar playing.
When the movie Deliverance came out, someone gifted me with the sound track LP. When I listened to it, it sounded really familiar ( except for the Dueling Banjos cut). I realised that it was the New Dimensions album with one extra cut added and a new picture and title on the cover.

Subject: RE: Obit: Eric Weissberg (1939-2020)
From: GUEST,Jerry
Date: 24 Mar 20 - 04:54 AM

I think there were two extra cuts on the Deliverance album (End of Dream?) but it wasn’t actually a soundtrack album really, was it? (unless there was no other music in the film/movie). However, the earlier album certainly deserved a reissue, even though only Eric’s playing can be heard in the movie.

Subject: RE: Obit: Eric Weissberg (1939-2020)
From: Dave Hanson
Date: 24 Mar 20 - 09:22 AM

I've got Erics CD ' Deliverence ' and what a brilliant musician he was, apart from the banjo, he was a brilliant mandolin player too.


Dave H

Subject: RE: Obit: Eric Weissberg (1939-2020)
From: Waddon Pete
Date: 24 Mar 20 - 05:14 PM

A very talented man. I have added his name to the "In Memoriam" thread. My condolences to his friends and family.

RIP

Subject: RE: Obit: Eric Weissberg (1939-2020)
From: pdq
Date: 24 Mar 20 - 10:49 PM

"Dueling Banjos" and "End of a Dream" replace "No Title Yet Blues" and "Black Rock Turnpike."

Several changes in the order of the songs. CD is on eBay for about $4-5.

Subject: RE: Obit: Eric Weissberg (1939-2020)
From: GUEST,henryp
Date: 25 Mar 20 - 05:05 AM

Eric Weissberg wrote; I hope to set the record straight concerning incorrect/incomplete writer credits on records I’ve made: the “soundtrack” recording of “Dueling Banjos”, and the incorrectly labeled “Deliverance Soundtrack” album, originally recorded as the album “New Dimensions in Banjo and Bluegrass” by Marshall Brickman and myself in 1962, and released in 1963.

A number of truly wrong things happened here. The new company, WB, which should have known better, perpetuated incorrect credits. They had eliminated Marshall’s great liner notes (in them he does mention that “Shuckin’ the Corn” is by Scruggs), and not corrected the credits. In fact they added “Dueling Banjos” (where did that title come from?) and “End of a Dream” to the list of incorrect credits.

Also gone was the information about which of us was playing lead banjo on which tunes, who took which banjo breaks on the double banjo tunes and who was playing what when not playing banjo. The two tunes removed were “No Title Yet Blues” written by me, and “Black Rock Turnpike” by Marshall. They chose to leave on two public domain tunes for which they would not have to pay royalties., and remove two for which they would have had to pay us royalties for thirty years and a couple million albums.

Subject: RE: Obit: Eric Weissberg (1939-2020)
From: clueless don
Date: 25 Mar 20 - 07:03 AM

I believe he did the banjo work on Billy Joel's original recording of "Travellin' Prayer". Nice stuff!

RIP

Subject: RE: Obit: Eric Weissberg (1939-2020)
From: GUEST,Jerry
Date: 25 Mar 20 - 10:11 AM

I’ve not read that explanation by Eric before, but yes that figures; why do record companies treat their artistes so badly?

Subject: RE: Obit: Eric Weissberg (1939-2020)
From: Duane D.
Date: 15 Jul 20 - 08:23 PM

I just found this now. I'm sorry to see this. I met Eric several times in recent years at the Eisteddfod Festival in Kerhonkson, NY, when I was volunteering to run the performers' sales table. A few years ago, I do not remember which year, I attended the Camp Woodland reunion for campers and staff, held at The Ashokan Center. Camp Woodland was a folk music based summer camp for children and was located in Phoenicia, NY, in The Catskills, during the 1950s and 60s. Pete Seeger and many other folkies were involved in running this camp. Caroline Paton was invited and I was her driver at that time so I was there. Eric was one of the counselors. I knew he would be there. I wore a Sharon, CT, tee shirt with artwork showing two stick figures in a canoe and a third one on the shore playing a banjo. The caption read, "It's all fun and games until someone hears a banjo." I told him he is one of the few people who would understand this shirt. He said, "Wait a moment," and removed his outer shirt to show me his tee shirt someone sent him from a canoeing organization, which read, "Paddle faster, I hear a banjo." I enjoyed the opportunities to meet him and chat with him. I felt blessed to know him on that level. He will be missed.

Subject: RE: Obit: Eric Weissberg (1939-2020)
From: GUEST
Date: 15 Jul 20 - 09:57 PM

He played Banjo and Guitar on Tommy Makem's first solo LP "Songs Of Tommy Makem" Tradition Records 1961..excellent!

Subject: RE: Obit: Eric Weissberg (1939-2020)
From: Mrrzy
Date: 15 Jul 20 - 11:28 PM

It never occurs to me that anybody from my childhood records could still be alive...

Bully for this banjo player.

Subject: RE: Obit: Eric Weissberg (1939-2020)
From: GUEST,Ray
Date: 16 Jul 20 - 04:13 AM

Bat Godess (et al) if you can find the Deliverance CD, you’ll find that it has all the tracks from the “New Dimensions” recording.

Subject: RE: Obit: Eric Weissberg (1939-2020)
From: Cool Beans
Date: 16 Jul 20 - 10:41 AM

Eric played banjo, mandolin, fiddle and who knows what else on "Cisco Houston Sings the Songs of Woody Guthrie," greatly enhancing the album, still one of my favorites after nearly 60 years. And he sings a whole song on the Blue Velvet Band album.

Subject: RE: Obit: Eric Weissberg (1939-2020)
From: GUEST,henryp
Date: 16 Jul 20 - 01:50 PM

Eric Weissberg; The bass had always intrigued me, so I signed up for acoustic double bass. And I loved it! I immediately started learning scales and all that stuff. I was playing Beethoven all of a sudden - on bass! Learning how to bow, and finger, pizzicato. And, I became really good. Four years of it. I was taking private bass lessons with an incredible teacher, Stuart Sankey, who also taught at Julliard. He was one of the top, if not the top, symphonic bass players in New York. He played in several orchestras, and was very well-known. It was like studying with Jascha Heifetz… And I loved playing orchestral music.

Dick Weissberg, Banjo News Letter; I knew that Eric was studying jazz guitar and sight-reading with studio player Allen Hanlon in the 70’s, but one day he told me that he was taking flute lessons from Harvey Estrin, another fine studio player. I was stunned. I mean, Eric already played guitar, banjo, mandolin, fiddle, bass, dobro, jew’s harp, and pedal steel.

Subject: RE: Obit: Eric Weissberg (1939-2020)
From: Bat Goddess
Date: 17 Jul 20 - 04:59 PM

Guest, Ray -- Alas, no, it's not quite what I'm looking for. Two important cuts were left off that CD (including my favorite "No Title Yet Blues") and not only eliminated the original liner notes, but perpetrated some new errors. Not to mention adding two public domain tunes so they could avoid paying royalties.

Linn

Subject: RE: Obit: Eric Weissberg (1939-2020)
From: GUEST,Frank Hamilton
Date: 18 Jul 20 - 02:31 PM

His accompaniment for Judy Collin's version of Leonard Cohen's "Suzanne" is superb.

I think now that he might have been a better choice for the replacement of Erik Darling in the Weavers then I was.

He was remarkably prolific being a.bassist as well as banjo and guitar.

.

Subject: RE: Obit: Eric Weissberg (1939-2020)
From: Bill D
Date: 18 Jul 20 - 07:39 PM

Linn.. I now have the machine and software to digitize old tapes and LPs and/or put them on CDs........ not that it will do you much good way or north.
But inquire around among your vaguely local friends... someone might have similar stuff.

Subject: RE: Obit: Eric Weissberg (1939-2020)
From: PHJim
Date: 21 Jul 20 - 12:53 AM

Frank Hamilton - He was also the original mandolin player for the Greenbriar Boys (replaced by Ralph Rinzler).

Subject: RE: Obit: Eric Weissberg (1939-2020)
From: GUEST
Date: 14 Sep 20 - 01:36 AM

According to an interview on the Masters of Cinema Buster Keaton box 3
Weissberg performed on the soundtrack of The Railrodder.
Thomas.

Subject: RE: Obit: Eric Weissberg (1939-2020)
From: beachcomber
Date: 14 Sep 20 - 11:39 AM

The passing of Eric Weissberg was very saddening news. I was priveleged to have seen and heard him play at the Athy Bluegrass Music Festival in Co. Kildare, Ireland, back in the 1980s. He was persuaded to play "Duelling Banjos" with a guitarist, which one I have forgotten, and did so, although, as he made known to the audience, he had played it so very often, even by then.
He was sensational that evening, on banjo, never giving any hint that he had equal facility on a multitude of other instruments. It was only then that I realised that he had accompanied the Clancy brothers & Tommy Makem on so many of their recordings.
He mentioned too, that night, that he had played with "The Greenbriar Boys" and I remembered that name on an LP by Joan Baez. I wonder if he was a member of the group at that juncture ? I think the track was "Pal o' mine"

Subject: RE: Obit: Eric Weissberg (1939-2020)
From: GerryM
Date: 15 Sep 20 - 03:40 AM

beachcomber, on Joan Baez Vol. 2, the Greenbriar Boys play on Banks of the Ohio and on Pal of Mine. The liner notes say, The Greenbriar Boys consist of John Herald, lead singer and guitar; Ralph Rinzler, baritone singer and mandolin; and Bob Yellin, tenor singer and banjo. No mention of Eric Weissberg.

Subject: RE: Obit: Eric Weissberg (1939-2020)
From: beachcomber
Date: 15 Sep 20 - 09:56 AM

Thank you Gerry, that's that then. I don't remember that Weissberg had any Tapes or CDs on sale at that gig where I saw him. Do you know the names of any CDs or LPs on which he performed ? I would like to get some.

Subject: RE: Obit: Eric Weissberg (1939-2020)
From: GUEST,Hootenanny
Date: 15 Sep 20 - 03:34 PM

Eric was a multi instrumentalist and session musician who in his own words worked constantly. There is a 28 minute interview with him on You Tube which is well worth watching if only to hear the full story of the saga of "Duelling Banjos" and the film and album.