I wasn't familiar with Claire Lynch when I saw that she was going to be appearing at the Pinellas Park Performing Arts Center. My bluegrass education was just beginning. I was on MySpace in those days. I had a song she co-wrote with Pierce Pettis on one of his albums, and he'd spoken highly of her, so I'd heard her name. I contacted her
via MySpace and told her about myself. I didn't have $25 to buy a ticket,
so I asked if I might be able to be her photographer that night so I could
attend. She agreed to that and the rest is history. I photographed that
show and she liked and used the photos in her promotional material. One of my high moments was when Claire used my photos and gave me
a photo credit on one of her albums, Whatcha Gonna Do. My iTunes library tells me that album came out in 2009. I didn't get the cover shot
though. This page is under construction.
I can't remember how it came about, but sometime later I was introduced to Dale Gross who had brought her in. I ended up becoming Dale's photographer and shot many, many shows for him. At the begin-
ning, the venue was that hall in Pinellas Park, but later he started using the Palladium and Side Door in St. Petersburg. Dale usually had parties for the performers he brought in. I phototraphed those too, so I got to meet the artists on a more personal level. I am not sure how many shows I shot of Claire and her band, because all that data about where
& when was lost when my old website went down.
I was an Alison Krauss fan, and one of the things that I felt made
her stand out was her band, Union Station, which is remarkable. I soon
discovered that Claire understood the vitality of being surrounded by the
best players, and Claire Lynch Band was comprised of an amazing lineup. Jim Hurst, guitar; Jason Thomas, fiddle & mandolin; Mark Schatz, bass & banjo. Claire also plays guitar. I was just blown away. Through the years, the personell changed. Mark Schatz was the constant, being with her most of the time, except once when Missy Raines subbed, and
Todd Phillips one other time. Scott Anderson played banjo with them on
a few tunes in Gainesville. Bryan McDowell and Matthew Wingate were
the new blood she brought in, and it was different, but always excellent.
These guys are virtuosos. Jim Hurst liked my photography and hired me
to photograph the new Gallagher Jim Hurst model guitar when it first came out. Claire also plays a Gallagher. Jim also honored me by using
my photo of him for the back cover on his Intrepid album in 2012.
I haven't heard or seen much of CLB since Dale Gross died and I went through throat cancer. I know Claire married and moved to Toronto. Mark Schatz lost his wife not too long ago. I get Jim Hurst's newsletter, so I'm up with his comings and goings, but I haven't talked to him in a long while. I see occasional posts from Claire on Facebook.