Skippin’ Along on Top – CD Baby Album/Single Description Byron Berline & I have been pickin’ friends since 1963. Back in our early Oklahoma days of yore, we met playing at a Hootenanny Folk Festival at the University of Oklahoma in Norman, Oklahoma. We’ve stayed in touch over the years & I was therefore aware of his many recordings & performance adventures & his evolution into being one of the greatest Country & Bluegrass fiddlers of all time. Coincidentally, I, therefore, knew a lot about his career. We played a lot of music together, (135) shows & (40) of ‘em with symphony orchestras! We called the music we played “Crabgrass” because it kept coming back. I decided to put the spotlight on Byron & write this song about him to play in our concerts as a way to introduce him & with a medley of highlights of his musical career to the audience. “Skippin’ Along On Top”, follows closely the style of the material I used to write for the Smothers Brothers Show” (you know, where they build you up just before they take your pants down!) The piece evolved in a few details over the years, but the band always seemed to enjoy the challenge of playing an ever-changing complex arrangement & the crowd loved it to. Here’s a quote I wrote for forthcoming bio book about him: “Across the fiddle, the bow couldn’t ask for a better friend, & across the board, I couldn’t either.” The musicians: Mason Williams – vocal Byron Berline – fiddle / vocal harmony Rick Cunha – rhythm acoustic / lead electric guitar / vocal harmony Jerry Mills – mandolin John Hickman – 5-string Banjo Doug Haywood – Bass / vocal harmony Hal Blaine – Drums Recorded live in the studio in 1995 at Don Ross Studio in Eugene, Oregon.