Biography

My first musical memories were sitting at the console of the big pipe organ my dad played in church where I grew up in Massachusetts. I was mesmerized as he swayed back and forth with arms extended, reaching for different keyboards, stops and pages of music while his feet danced over octaves of pedals. Off in the distance I could hear my mothers voice as the melodies that were rehearsed in the piano room at home all week resonated beautifully through the rafters of the church and wafted out over Main St..

When I was a kid I thought anyone who could play an instrument was a god. There were commune bands like Spirit in Flesh and talent show bands with light shows and 'battle of the bands' for all the cool kids in school, and even Doc Williams came through Ashfield with a pantheon of pickers.

Starting at 13, I played in orchestras through college where I studied with Robert Mellin and, very occasionally with Sam Hollingsworth (Pittsburgh Symphony). I met the rest of the Chicken Chokers during the winter of 1979-1980 and promptly forgot how to read music.

I have been playing the banjo for more than 20 years. I learned first from Sandy Davis, and then from musicians around the SF Bay area including Molly Tannenbaum, Brendan Doyle, and Greg and Jere Canote. I later had the chance to learn from Tommy Jarrell and from other great fiddlers in Galax and Mt. Airy, where I lived in the early 1980s. Later, in Boston, I took up with the Chicken Chokers, and with Mark Graham. I also played for many years with Ruthie Dornfeld, and with Daniel Steinberg and Paul Kotapish of the Hillbillies from Mars.

Chad played trumpet and took piano lessons throughout grade school. In high school he discovered the banjo teaching himself to play from a book. His sister gave Chad a fiddle for a high school graduation present. Soon after Chad met old time fiddler Peter Honig. Throughout the following year the two played in numerous bands, traveled south, listened and learned tunes and shared their mutual enthusiasm for Highwoods Stringband. While living in Boston in the 70’s Chad happened upon the street fiddler/harmonica player Dave Molk.