by Ronnie Reno

Let me introduce you to the Legendary Curly Seckler, he is one of the first generation Bluegrass performers and has been playing for 75 years. Curly was one of the Foggy Mountain Boys of Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs fame from 1949 until 1962. Curley was with them almost in the beginning, he sang tenor with Lester and played mandolin and recorded well over 100 songs. He was on some of there most popular songs like Roll in My Sweet Baby’s Arms, Salty Dog Blues, I’ll go Stepping Too and Dim Lights, Thick Smoke.

Curly began his career with legends like Charlie Monroe in 1935 and played with many pioneers like Jim and Jesse McReynolds, Mac Wiseman, The Sauceman and Stanley Brothers. Curly is regarded as one of the greatest Tenor singers in our business and was inducted into the Bluegrass Hall of Fame in 2004.

At the age of 90, Curly is still a vital, creative, hard-working entertainer. He continues to perform at selected festivals and special events. In 2008 he was featured on the PBS television show, Song of the Mountains, backed by the superb North Carolina band, The Steep Canyon Rangers.

We had a great party at Gerald McCormick’s house and celebrated Curley’s turning ninety years of age. We had great food, some good picking with some of the best musicians and a lot of good fellowship. Curley will be touring this year in honor of his 75 years in music.

Curly Seckler is the embodiment of Bluegrass history- a legendary entertainer who has seen it all- and living proof that traditional bluegrass still thrives in the new millennium.

Happy New Year,

Ronnie Reno