Born in Jersey City, he . I dont know why. I like to go straight through with a take, all the way through, and usually keep the first or second one the first one I can live with. What did Doc Watson mean to you when you first heard him? Hes spent 50 years defining a flat-picking style adopted by guitarists from Tony Rice to Dave Rawlings. It was not calculated, it just came out that way. On the Opry, when you were growing up in the 40s, there wouldnt have been many lead acoustic guitar players, right? I think that part of a musicians job is to soften up the hearts of people so they can receive a better message., Lately, Norman and Nancy Blake have been devoting their time to performing duets. Legacy Obituaries Oshkosh Wi3026 Jackson Street Oshkosh, WI JEANNIE So we maybe just as well stay home. To play on that program you grew up on. I never tried to play their stuff that early on. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. Nowadays, they can access anything thats out there. Day by Day. Day by Day is the latest offering from American guitarist and folk musician Norman Blake. and spending time with his wife and family. From Day by Day. Norman Landis | Obituary | Cumberland Times News Help tell the story of your loved ones unique life. It was in the bands. Over the course of the next decade, he was in the studio working on vital records such as Dylans Nashville Skyline, Joan Baezs The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down and John Hartfords Aereo-Plain, or hitting the road with Kris Kristoffersons band. And though Blake stopped touring in 2007 to enter retirement, at the age of 83 he continues to play and record, with his most recent album, Day By Day, released last October by Smithsonian Folkways. Passed away on Friday, March 23, 2018 at the Lewisporte Health Center, Lewisporte, NL, Mr. Norman Blake, age 76 years, formerly of Birchy Bay. Just making a lick is not my goal.. Im into instruments, too, but were into them in different ways, she explains. He was asked by Bob Dylan to play on the country-folk album Nashville Skyline, then became a member of the house band on Johnny Cash's TV show. . Not long after releasing his first album, he met Nancy Short, a classically trained cellist with rock n roll leanings. Blake, Shannon Brown, Matt Wood, Rob Wood, Brittany Herrin, Natalee Scott, and Haley Steckel; and 30 great grandchildren. Norm was an avid Indians fan and enjoyed playing bingo. You know, just getting tired of the actual road itself at that point. Id rather give an honest performance than a professional one, Blake says. I like a good, straight neck I dont like them with a lot of relief in them. Even as he approaches the 50th anniversary of his 1972 solo debut album, Home in Sulphur Springs, and with a new album on the horizon, he is still searching.