John Duffey; Founded Bluegrass’ ‘Seldom Scene’

John Duffey, whose “high lonesome tenor” and sparkling mandolin playing helped propel the Seldom Scene bluegrass group to stardom, has died. He was 62.

Duffey died Tuesday in Arlington, Va., after apparently suffering a heart attack at his home.

Dudley Connell, current lead singer with the group, described Duffey as “one of the half-dozen most important players ever in this industry. He helped redefine how people looked at bluegrass, made it acceptable to the urban masses by his choice of material and style of performance.”

Duffey, a native of Washington, formed the Seldom Scene in 1971 after about a decade of playing with another bluegrass group called the Country Gentlemen.

Duffey put together the Seldom Scene with four other Washington musicians who had demanding day jobs--physician John Starling, mathematician Ben Eldridge, graphic artist Mike Auldridge and National Geographic map maker Tom Gray.

The group planned to play only occasionally, which was why they chose the name Seldom Scene. But a regular Thursday night gig with standing-room-only crowds at a club in Bethesda, Md., led to demands for recording and road appearances, and then to weekly appearances at an Alexandria, Va., club, the Birchmere, where they played for 22 years.

Over a quarter-century the group played in most of the 50 states and many other countries, including Japan and France, and made dozens of recordings, the most recent of which was “Dream Scene,” released this fall. They also played for presidents Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan.

Duffey was inducted into the International Bluegrass Music Assn. Hall of Fame in September.