Richard Greene

Musician · b. 1942 · Beverly Hills, California · richardgreene.net
Best known for Fiddle

Richard Greene is the fiddler widely credited with popularizing the “chop” — the percussive backbeat that became a defining rhythmic feature of bluegrass and later new-acoustic music. Classically trained, he pushed the fiddle into progressive bluegrass, jazz-grass, and chamber fusion through his work with Bill Monroe, Seatrain, Muleskinner, and David Grisman.

  • Born November 9, 1942, in Beverly Hills, California; began classical violin study at age 5 before turning to folk music as a teenager.
  • Studied at UC Berkeley, playing with the Coast Mountain Ramblers and David Lindley’s Dry City Scat Band.
  • One of Bill Monroe’s first “northern” Blue Grass Boys, joining in 1966; widely credited with popularizing the fiddle “chop.”
  • Recorded with the Jim Kweskin Jug Band on the 1967 album Garden of Joy.
  • Co-founded the roots-rock band Seatrain with Andy Kulberg and Jim Roberts in 1969; their 1970 self-titled album was produced by George Martin.
  • Member of the short-lived but legendary Muleskinner in 1973 alongside Peter Rowan, Bill Keith, Clarence White, and David Grisman.
  • Helped create the “new acoustic” sound with David Grisman around 1974 through the Great American Music Band, which evolved into the David Grisman Quintet.
  • Led the Greene String Quartet through three albums blending jazz, folk, rock, and chamber music.
  • Won a 1997 Grammy for instrumental performance; received a 1998 Grammy nomination for his bluegrass album Sales Tax Toddle.
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