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Artist
Mark O'Connor
12+ albums
bluegrassviolinfiddlecountryjazz
about
There are two artists known as Mark O'Connor 1. Mark O'Connor (born August 5, 1961 in Seattle, Washington) is an American bluegrass, country and classical fiddler, composer and music teacher. O'Connor's music is wide-ranging, critically acclaimed, and he has received numerous awards for both his playing and his composition. As a teenager he won national string instrument championships for his virtuoso playing of the guitar and mandolin as well as on the fiddle. His mentors include Texas old-time fiddler Benny Thomasson who taught O'Connor to fiddle as a teenager, French jazz violinist Stéphane Grappelli with whom O'Connor toured as a teenager and guitarist Chet Atkins. At an early age Mark O'Connor was considered a child prodigy, his first instrument being the guitar. "I was a guitar player first, beginning around age 6." said O'Connor in a recent interview. "At age 11 I got really interested in bluegrass and country guitar, and I was able to really draw inspiration from all the great guitar players that were recording in that era; of course, Chet Atkins, and Jerry Reed, and Doc Watson and some of the bluegrass guitar players like Tony Rice, and Norman Blake." He has recorded solo albums for Rounder, Warner Bros. Records, Sony, and his own CD line OMAC Records. O'Connor has won two Grammy awards; one for his New Nashville Cats album and another for his Appalachian Journey album he did with Yo-Yo Ma and Edgar Meyer. He was named Musician of the Year by the Country Music As
