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Art Stamper, 71; Fiddler Who Helped Define Bluegrass

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From Times Staff and Wire Reports

Art Stamper, 71, a leading fiddle player who performed with the Stanley Brothers and Bill Monroe’s Blue Grass Boys, died Sunday in Louisville, Ky., after a four-year battle with throat cancer.

A member of the Bluegrass Hall of Fame, Stamper was a native of Hindman in eastern Kentucky and a longtime resident of Shepherdsville, near Louisville. His father, Hiram, was an accomplished old-time musician, and Stamper followed suit at age 9. He was a professional by 16 and joined Ralph and Carter Stanley’s band in 1952, just in time to help define a new genre of music eventually called bluegrass.

Stamper retired from a full-time music career in 1956 to raise a family. He returned to music full-time in 1978, sitting in with a variety of bands, including Monroe’s, and recording two highly regarded albums: “The Lost Fiddler” and “Goodbye Girls, I’m Going to Boston.”

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Last year, Stamper received the distinguished achievement award from the International Bluegrass Music Assn., joining the likes of Earl Scruggs, Lester Flatt, Kenny Baker and Monroe.

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