It is with sadness that we note the passing of Art Todd, irrepressible tenor banjo player and man-about-town, who died on October 10, 2007 at the grand old age of 93. Art came to many of our jams in the early days, and was known for his astonishing ability to play just about anything, even bluegrass! With his late wife, Dotty, Art had two top-ten hits in the U.S. and UK, but with different songs. In 1953, they scored a #1 hit in England with, "Broken Wings." In America, their "Chanson d'Amour" peaked at #6 on Billboard's Top 40 list, remaining on the charts for 11 weeks in 1958. Art and Dottie appeared several times on The Ed Sullivan Show and on The Dick Clark Saturday Night Beechnut Show, and they also had their own CBS radio show. In their later years, they performed regularly at the Dunes and MGM Grand Hotels in Las Vegas, until their retirement in 1980. Art regularly gave 'ukelele lessons in and around Waikiki, and for many years, he and his buddies Del Courtney and Martin Denny got together for a weekly Wednesday jam session! He was a remarkable musician and he had a great deal of respect for bluegrass music. He will be missed.
Carmencita Cerna, the beloved mother of one of our brightest young stars, mandolinist Chris Cerna, passed away on Tuesday, March 27, 2007, after a brave battle with illness for several months.
On behalf of Bluegrass Hawai`i, mahalo to Carmen for her endless friendship and kindness to our community, and especially for producing and raising Chris to be an incredible talent. You will not be forgotten. For those of you who do not know the Cernas... please click here.
Mabel Trent, a dear lady in faraway Pennsylvania, was tremendously supportive of our efforts to sow the seeds of bluegrass and traditional music here in Hawai`i.
Sadly, Mabel passed away of a massive heart attack on December 29, 2004. She became a legend in the worldwide bluegrass community--for her kind heart, her unique and original crocheted designs, and her deep and abiding love of music.
For a moving tribute to Mabel by DJ Mike Kear, please visit http://atalkingdog.com/. Mahalo and aloha to you, dear Mabel; may you rest in peace and sweet harmony.