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 Jim J. MacKay, Jr. was our much loved wash tub bassist for over a decade. Jim, a US Naval Veteran who served aboard the USS Newport News, could always be found standing next to the American flag at the annual Chester Maplefest performance and at many other venues. A wonderful musician who was always in demand and who built his own violin from scratch, Jim also performed with the Do-Re-Mi choral group and Westfield's Slim Pickers.
Jim's washtub bass, which he constructed from the finest washtub available in Western Massachusetts, was a contraption that always mystified us. With only one string, he managed to hit every note in the universe and in Jim's hands that string never failed. The fiddlers might have been all playing different and unexpected notes, but Jim was always in tune and spot on. He was our rhythm and our back bone; he was the column that supported our music, and he was a really nice man and terrific human being to boot. We were so lucky to have him play with us these many years.
Jim's greatest triumph perhaps was performing at Walt Disney World in October, 2009. All our research shows that Jim was the only non-cartoon character to play a washtub on a Disney stage. We miss you Jim, and we treasure the memories we have of you. |
 A. G. Butch Cone, Jr. was a long time member of the Pioneer Valley Fiddlers. Our MC extraordinaire, and dear friend, he was the voice of the fiddlers at such performances as the Summit House in Hadley, the Maplefest in Chester, and the Blandford Fair, in Blandford, MA. Father, husband, boyscout leader and postmaster, he decided to take up the fiddle at the tender age of 42, subjecting everyone in listening distance to constant repetitions of Boil'em Cabbage until he finally memorized the piece. He soon after joined the Pioneer Valley Fiddlers, learning and playing a whole repertoire of tunes and performing with his fellow fiddlers at fairs and festivals throughout Western Massachusetts.
Butch never complained, but faced life squarely with his remarkable sense of humor, kindness and dignity.. It is for Butch that the Pioneer Valley Fiddlers dedicate their rendition of Ashokan Farewell at each concert. We miss you Butch, but you remain in our hearts, remembered always in the tunes we play |
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