Norman Blake: Old Time Country Musician

"Writers have used a lot of superlatives in attempts to define Norman Blake and his music. It's easy to fall into pat terminology, reaching for terms like old-timey, hot-licks, folky, traditional, or country, to name a few; and it's especially easy for writers who have only seen Norman perform once or twice, or who have relied only upon recordings.

But the more you learn about Norman Blake, the harder it is to categorize him. About the time you're ready to define him as a great flatpicker, he puts his picks on and plays some fine, melodious, finger-picked guitar music. So you shift gears and decide to simply label him 'guitarist,' but then he reaches down and picks up a mandolin or a fiddle and you have to readjust your thinking again. 'Country musician' comes to mind as a good way to define him, but about the time you make that decision, his music changes directions and takes on a more serious, almost semi-classical quality that gets close to some forms of Early American chamber music. All right, you'll try 'instrumental musician,' but then you discover that he can sing a pretty good song, to boot.

All the terms are accurate to a point. Personally, I've stopped trying to define Blake and his music. They are unique. A typical concert will include some of everything mentioned above, as well as some musical forms that might best be described as representing whatever Blake is hearing in his mind at the time. It is sufficient to say that there are two basic elements in any Norman Blake program; a certain traditional quality most of the time, and total quality all the time. " - Frets Magazine