Clarence “Tater” Tate, a long-time member of Bill Monroe’s Bluegrass Boys and Lester Flatt’s Nashville Grass, passed away on Wednesday. Tater had been battling lung cancer for some time, and will be fondly remembered as long as people play bluegrass music.

In his later years, he served as an instructor in the bluegrass music program at East Tennessee State University. How fortunate for his students to have had a brief glimpse of his wisdom.

You can read his obituary notice in The Johnson City Press online.

Here’s another post from our all-the-more regular correspondent, Richard Thompson. He writes from England, where he is also a longstanding contributor to British Bluegrass News, a quarterly print publication where he also briefly served as editor.

Recently we posted a story about the poor state of Clarence ‘Tater’ Tate’s health. Tate is currently undergoing a course of chemotherapy to counteract the effects of lung cancer.

Sunday, April 15, The Appalachian Cultural Music Association (ACMA) in partnership with the East Tennessee State University Bluegrass, Old Time, and Country Music program will present a reunion of former Blue Grass Boys to aid the fund raising to assist Tate with his medical expenses.

The history of reunions for Blue Grass Boys stretches back to almost a quarter of a century, as Doug Hutchens, the organiser of these reunions relates,

“The first what we could now call a ‘Reunion’ would have been September 1982 in Louisville, Kentucky. I had the idea that something should be done for Bill’s birthday. He had come through a lot of health problems in the prior 18 months and that was the year I had the case made. Red Taylor, Gordon Terry, Bryon Berline and Cleo Davis was there. Tex Logan, while never really a member of the band officially, was also there plus the regular members, Wayne [Lewis], Kenny [Baker], Blake [Williams] and Mark [Hembree]. Those went on in or around Bill’s birthday until the early 1990s when I changed jobs and didn’t have the flexibility to do them any longer.

The first ‘Reunion’ as we know it today was in May of 2000 when James [Monroe] called me in the winter of 1999 and said that he was going to start a festival to honour Bill in Rosine and asked if I would arrange and do a reunion of band members. A typical Blue Grass Boy Reunion as we have done it is a stage set with stools and mikes. I have been the moderator to keep things moving and to make sure that everyone get some time. I usually try to watch time, move from member of one instrument to another, to keep some variety, ask certain questions that will get stories going or lead them in certain directions that always get stories going. Then after every two or three stories ask each lead singer to do a song that they did in the band, or fiddler or fiddlers to do a number, the same with the banjo while the bass players usually tell their stories and grin a lot. (more…)

Here’s a chance for bluegrass lovers everywhere to “give back” to a man who has contributed mightily to the development of our music.

Clarence “Tater” Tate, who spent many years on stage as a member of Bill Monroe’s Bluegrass Boys, is currently being treated with chemotherapy for lung cancer. Tater was with Monroe until the end, and spent time with Red Smiley, Lester Flatt and Hylo Brown as well.

He had been working as a part time instructor in the bluegrass music program at East Tennessee State University in recent years, and Raymond McLain, who directs the program at ETSU, has set up a fund to help Tater with the medical expenses he is facing.

Raymond urges Tater’s many friends and admirers in bluegrass to send along whatever contribution they can, along with well wishes and words of encouragement to him via ETSU.

Checks should be made payable to Clarence Tate.

A benefit concert has also been scheduled for April 15 in Bristol, TN which will reunite Tater with several other former Bluegrass Boys at the Appalachian Cultural Music Association’s Pickin’ Porch in the Bristol Mall. Billed as An Afternoon with Tater Tate, it will feature special guests Bobby Hicks, Butch Robbins, Tom Ewing, Robert Bowlin and many others.

All proceeds from the Bristol show will go to Tater Tate. Find more details on the ACMA site.