jmjiloveyou

<p><img src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c7/John_Starling_of_The_Seldom_Scene.jpg/800px-John_Starling_of_The_Seldom_Scene.jpg" alt="John Starling of The Seldom Scene" height="408" width="306"></p><p><strong>John Lewis Starling</strong> (March 26, 1940 – May 2, 2019) was an American musician. He is an <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Bluegrass_Music_Hall_of_Fame" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">International Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame</a> inductee <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bluegrass_music" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">bluegrass</a> musician and composer, founding member of the bluegrass group <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Seldom_Scene" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">The Seldom Scene</a>, an <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Otorhinolaryngology" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">otolaryngological</a> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Physician" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">physician</a> for communities in <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alabama" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Alabama</a>, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Washington,_D.C." rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Washington, D.C.</a>, and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virginia" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Virginia</a>, and an amateur <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Architect" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">architect</a> designing the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Field_house" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">field house</a> at <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virginia_Military_Institute" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Virginia Military Institute</a>, the house his parents retired in and the floor plans for the building he practiced medicine in.</p><h2>Biography</h2><p>John Starling was born in <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Durham,_North_Carolina" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Durham</a>, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Carolina" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">North Carolina</a>, and grew up in <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lexington,_Virginia" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Lexington</a>, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virginia" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Virginia</a>.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Starling_(musician)#cite_note-Starling_Discogs_bio-1" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">^[1]</a><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Starling_(musician)#cite_note-washingtonpost.com-2" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">^[2]</a> His father was hired by <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Washington_and_Lee_University" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Washington and Lee University</a> as a biology professor. He discovered bluegrass and country through live radio programs taking up the electric guitar during his teenage years. He is a graduate of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Davidson_College" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Davidson College</a>, Class of 1962, and then matriculated to <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_Virginia" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">University of Virginia</a> where received his medical degree in 1967. While on campus, he attended folk and bluegrass jams and met future bandmate <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ben_Eldridge" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Ben Eldridge</a>. After graduating he served in the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Army" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">U.S. Army</a> as a surgeon during <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Vietnam_War" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">The Vietnam War</a>.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Starling_(musician)#cite_note-Starling_Bluegrass_Today-3" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">^[3]</a><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Starling_(musician)#cite_note-washingtonpost.com-2" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">^[2]</a></p><p>Following his tour of duty, he did his residency at the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walter_Reed_Army_Medical_Center" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Walter Reed Army Medical Center</a> in Washington, D.C. In Washington, he met musician <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mike_Auldridge" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Mike Auldridge</a> through former acquaintance <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ben_Eldridge" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Ben Eldridge</a>. The three began making music together after work in Eldridge's basement during jam sessions and eventually were joined by two former members of the bluegrass band <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Country_Gentlemen" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">The Country Gentlemen</a>, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Duffey" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">John Duffey</a> and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Gray_(bluegrass_musician)" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Tom Gray</a>, as part of these weekly informal sessions. Soon, the five musicians formed <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Seldom_Scene" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">The Seldom Scene</a> and were part of the weekly line up at The Red Fox Inn in <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bethesda,_Maryland" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Bethesda, Maryland</a>, and then <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Birchmere" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">The Birchmere Music Hall</a> in <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexandria,_Virginia" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Alexandria, Virginia</a>. In 1977, Starling left the band, deciding to, in his words, “do what I was originally trying to do, which was practice medicine.”<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Starling_(musician)#cite_note-Country_Standard-4" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">^[4]</a> Though he did manage to release a solo album “Long Time Gone” with guest appearances from <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emmylou_Harris" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Emmylou Harris</a>, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Little_Feat" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Little Feat</a> guitarist <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lowell_George" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Lowell George</a>, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pedal_steel" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">pedal steel</a> guitarist <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buddy_Emmons" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Buddy Emmons</a> and his former bandmates. With singer <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Claire_Lynch" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Claire Lynch</a>, he formed a country-rock band, Ready Section.</p><p>His first marriage, to bluegrass singer <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fayssoux_Starling_McLean" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Fayssoux Dunbar</a>, ended in divorce. In 1976, he married Cynthia Burks. Survivors include his wife, of Fredericksburg, and son John "Jay" Starling, a <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dobro" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">dobro</a> player residing in the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charlottesville,_Virginia" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Charlottesville, Virginia</a>, area.</p><p>His recording “Spring Training” with banjoist/songwriter <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carl_Jackson" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Carl Jackson</a> and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Nash_Ramblers&amp;action=edit&amp;redlink=1" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">The Nash Ramblers</a> won the 1992 <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grammy" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Grammy</a> for <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grammy_Award_for_Best_Bluegrass_Album" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Best Bluegrass Album</a>. He briefly rejoined The Seldom Scene in the mid-1990s to fill in following the departure of singer/guitarist Lou Reid, while continuing his medical practice. After his retirement from medicine in 2006, he reunited with Auldridge and Gray, along with Jimmie Gaudreau and Ricky Simpkins, as "John Starling and Carolina Star" for a final collaboration, “Slidin’ Home” (2007).<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Starling_(musician)#cite_note-Starling_Bluegrass_Today-3" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">^[3]</a> "Dr. Starling took pride in what he termed "honesty in presentation” and considered it paramount to give an audience his best. "No matter how slick you are," he once said, "people aren’t going to buy it if you’re checking your watch to see how long you have before you go off."" <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Starling_(musician)#cite_note-washingtonpost.com-2" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">^[2]</a></p><p>John Starling <a href="https://fredericksburg.com/news/local/local-bluegrass-legend-will-get-a-fitting-outdoor-concert-tribute-at-mount-airy/article_d59b7720-1fe6-5a32-b106-f3e17af08bc8.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">played his final show</a> at <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Airy_Plantation" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Mount Airy</a> farm in Warsaw, Virginia on June 30th, 2017 accompanied by his son Jay Starling on resonator guitar with friends Jesse Harper on acoustic guitar, Cameron Ralston on bass, Nat Smith on cello and Courtney Hartman on vocals and guitar. The nearly 60 min set of music was a benefit for local stewards <a href="https://riverfriends.org/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Friends Of The Rappahannock</a>. The last song performed that night (Paul Craft's "Keep Me From Blowing Away") was recorded from the soundboard and <a href="https://soundcloud.com/user-592055189/keep-me-fron-blowing-away" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">is available for free listening on Soundcloud.</a> This recording remains as John's final goodbye to his fans, family and many friends.</p><p>Starling was reported to be "seriously ill" and living in <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hospice_care" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">hospice care</a>.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Starling_(musician)#cite_note-5" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">^[5]</a> He died of congestive heart failure on May 2, 2019, at his Fredericksburg home.</p>