Artist:Mark O'Connor
Song:Jerusalem's Ridge
Album:Heroes
Fiddler Mark O'Connor is known as a bluegrass musician. But he can play any kind of music with anyone. On this 1993 album Heroes, he plays with fiddlers he considers his heroes. He was born Aug. 5, 1961 in the Seattle suburb of Mountlake Terrace, WA. O'Connor took guitar lessons as a child and he took fiddle lessons from Benny Thomasson. Then he studied with the great Stephane Grappelli and toured with him. He also worked with David Grisman and Steve Morse. O'Connor was a teen when he signed with Rounder Records in 1975. After winning all kinds of fiddle competitions, O'Connor moved to Nashville in 1983. He became a session musician and signed a record deal with Warner Bros. I first heard of O'Connor when he hosted the TNN show American Music Shop. I loved that show. While at Warner Bros., O'Connor became known for his versatility. He won a Grammy for the 1991 album The New Nashville Cats. Jerusalem's Ridge is from the 1993 album Heroes. O'Connor wanted to record with violinists who are his heroes. Jerusalem's Ridge is a Bill Monroe song. O'Connor performs it with Monroe's fiddler Kenny Baker. Others on the album are Jean-Luc Ponty, Charlie Daniels, Johnny Gimble, Byron Berline, Vassar Clements, Doug Kershaw, Pinchas Zuckerman and Stephane Grappelli. O'Connor moved to Sony in 1996. Maybe you saw him in the 1999 film Music of the Heart. O'Connor currently records for his own label. His current project is The O'Connor Band with his wife Maggie on violin, his son Forrest on mandolin and Forrest's wife Kate Lee on violin. They recorded Jerusalem's Ridge on the 2016 album Coming Home. Forrest and Kate wrote several songs on the album. Mark and Maggie are currently on tour. Check them out if they are coming your way. Here's Mark O'Connor and The O'Connor Band performing Jerusalem's Ridge at Seattle radio station KNKX 2016.
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