Early performing Blake was born in
Chattanooga, Tennessee, and grew up in
Sulphur Springs, Alabama. He listened to old-time and country music on the radio by
the Carter Family, the
Skillet Lickers,
Roy Acuff, and the Monroe Brothers (
Charlie and
Bill Monroe). He learned guitar at age 11 or 12, then
mandolin,
dobro, and
fiddle in his teens. When he was 16, he dropped out of school to play music professionally. In the 1950s, Blake joined the Dixieland Drifters and performed on radio broadcasts, then joined the Lonesome Travelers. When he was drafted in 1961, he served as an Army radio operator in the
Panama Canal Zone. He started a popular band known as the
Kobbe Mountaineers. A year later, while he was on leave, he recorded the album
Twelve Shades of Bluegrass with the Lonesome Travelers.
Nashville and Johnny Cash After being discharged from the Army, Blake moved to Nashville and became a
studio musician. In 1972, Blake recorded his first solo album,
Home in Sulphur Springs (
Rounder, 1972). Although known as one of the most prominent steel-string guitar
flatpickers, Blake is a multi-instrumentalist and vocalist. Other instruments he plays include the
mandolin,
6-string banjo,
fiddle,
dobro,
banjo and
viola. He is known for his loose, right-hand guitar technique, which arose out of his mandolin technique. Also well known is his devotion to 12-fret guitars, including Martin 00s, 000s, D18s, D28s, and Gibsons, like his 1929 12-fret Nick Lucas special.
Collaborations Blake has collaborated with
Tony Rice on the albums, "Blake and Rice," and "Blake and Rice 2," which include many tunes, including some of Blake's originals. Blake also released an album with Mike Compton called, "Gallop to Georgia," which showcases many Old-Time tunes.
Awards and honors Blake played on the album
Raising Sand by
Robert Plant and
Alison Krauss, which won five Grammy Awards, and on the soundtrack
O Brother, Where Art Thou?, which won a Grammy for
Album of the Year. Norman & Nancy Blake received Grammy nominations in the Best Traditional Folk Recording category for
Blind Dog, ''Just Gimme Somethin' I'm Used To
, While Passing Along This Way
, and The Hobo's Last Ride
. In 1986 Norman Blake was chosen Best Multi-Instrumentalist by the readers of Frets'' magazine. ==Discography==