Mark O'Connor | |
|---|---|
 O'Connor on stage at the 1985 Cambridge Folk Festival | |
| Background information | |
| Born | August 5, 1961[1] Mountlake Terrace, Washington, U.S. |
| Genres | Country rock, bluegrass, jazz rock, classical rock |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, composer, teacher, author |
| Instrument(s) | Violin, fiddle, guitar, mandolin |
| Years active | 1974–present |
| Labels | Rounder, Warner Bros., Sony Classical Records |
| Website | markoconnor |
Mark O'Connor (born August 5, 1961) is an American fiddle player, composer, guitarist, and mandolinist whose music combines bluegrass, country, jazz and classical. A three-time Grammy Award winner, he has won six Country Music Association Musician Of The Year awards and was a member of three influential musical ensembles: the David Grisman Quintet, The Dregs, and Strength in Numbers.[2]
O'Connor has released 45 albums, of mostly original music, over a 45-year career. He has recorded and performed mostly his original American Classical music for decades. An expert at traditionally-based fiddle and bluegrass music, he also plays other instruments proficiently, including the violin, guitar and mandolin.[3] He has appeared on 450 albums, composed nine concertos and has put together groundbreaking ensembles. His mentors have included Benny Thomasson[4] who taught O'Connor to fiddle as a teenager, French jazz violinist Stéphane Grappelli[5] with whom O'Connor toured as a teenager, and guitarists Chet Atkins, Doc Watson and Steve Morse.[6]
- ^ "Mark O'Connor biography". CMT. Archived from the original on February 23, 2004. Retrieved January 28, 2017.
- ^ "Mark O'Connor, Violin". fromthetop.org. Retrieved 5 May 2022.
- ^ Hiltner, Justin (7 August 2018). "Mark O'Connor, 'Pickin' in the wind'". thebluegrasssituation.com. Retrieved 16 May 2022.
- ^ "Mark O'Connor: On Learning, Playing, and Teaching Strings, American-style by Peter Anick". Fiddle Magazine. August 21, 2010.
- ^ "Mark O'Connor Hot Swing on Mountain Stage". NPR. April 5, 2010.
- ^ Tom Redmond (January 28, 2017). "Chet Atkins and Mark O'Connor". Mister Guitar.