Russ Barenberg is one of the most melodic instrumentalists in contemporary bluegrass. Best known for his
Clarence White-style flatpicking,
Barenberg often uses his other three fingers to enhance rhythm and melody and create a more textural sensitivity. A former member of
Country Cooking, Heartlands,
Fiddle Fever, and
Laughing Hands,
Barenberg has remained active since moving to Nashville in 1986.
Inspired by
Doc Watson and
Mississippi John Hurt,
Barenberg began playing guitar at the age of 13. Along with his brother and sister, he took lessons from
Alan Miller, the older brother of future bandmate
John Miller. A turning point came in 1964, when
Barenberg discovered the late
Clarence White on an album by
the Kentucky Colonels, Appalachian Swing!
While attending Cornell University in Ithaca, NY, in 1968,
Barenberg met banjo whiz
Pete Wernick. Two years later, the two instrumentalists joined with
Tony Trischka,
Kenny Kosek, and
John Miller to form the seminal bluegrass band
Country Cooking. During the four years that
Country Cooking was together, the group recorded two influential albums, Country Cooking and 26 Bluegrass Instrumentals, and accompanied mandolinist
Frank Wakefield on a third album.
After
Country Cooking disbanded in 1975,
Barenberg temporarily switched to electric guitar and performed with a jazz-rock band, Carried Away. Frustrated by the music business, however, he stopped playing from 1975 to 1977 when he moved to New York and, together with
Trischka,
Miller, and fiddler
Matt Glaser, formed the innovative bluegrass band Heartlands. Although the band failed to record an album of its own, Heartlands backed
Barenberg on his 1980 debut solo album, Cowboy Calypso.
Moving to Boston,
Barenberg freelanced with several pickup bands and taught guitar and mandolin at the Music Emporium in Cambridge. In 1982, he joined
Glaser and fiddler/mandolinist
Jay Ungar in the eclectic string band
Fiddle Fever, recording two albums with the group. In addition,
Barenberg worked with
Glaser and mandolinist
Andy Statman in the short-lived experimental bluegrass-jazz band
Laughing Hands.
Since moving to Nashville,
Barenberg has worked extensively with dobro player and record producer
Jerry Douglas. In addition to accompanying Irish vocalist
Maura O'Connell, the two musicians recorded a trio album,
Skip, Hop & Wobble, with upright bassist
Edgar Meyer.
As a session player,
Barenberg has recorded on numerous demo tapes for Nashville publishing companies and appeared on albums by
Béla Fleck,
Hazel Dickens,
Mel Tillis, and
Randy Travis.
Barenberg has also been featured on instructional tapes, including How to Play Bluegrass Guitar and Teach Yourself Bluegrass Guitar, released by Homespun Tapes and Videos. He earned a Grammy nomination for Best Country Instrumental Performance for the song "Little Monk" from his 2007 album
When at Last. ~ Craig Harris