Kerry Blech: A Life Documenting, Recording and Performing Old-Time Fiddle Tunes

Fiddler and historian Kerry Blech (1947-2023) devoted his life to preserving and understanding the creative practices of old-time fiddlers and contemporary traditional musicians. From the early 1970s onward, he amassed an extensive collection of field recordings, LPs, and copies of old-time string band and fiddle music recorded in the 1920s and 1930s. Blech also spent 21 years (1987-2008) writing reviews for The Old-Time Herald, analyzing recordings, books, and videos through a scholarly lens and presenting research on the origins and variants of old fiddle tunes.

This biography covers Bech's life and career with special attention to his research and writing, noting how he illuminated the creative lives of elder fiddlers and the evolving networks of contemporary musicians who carried their legacies forward.

Clawhammer banjo player Lewis M. Stern has written for The Banjoists Broadsheet, The Old Time Herald and Banjo Newsletter. He lives in Durham, North Carolina.