Oklahoma music legend Byron Berline passed away on Saturday, July 10. Although he was a Bluegrass fiddle master, his talent knew no bounds. He played with almost every rock legend short of Elvis or the Beatles. This includes The Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, Elton John, Rod Stewart, The Eagles, The Doobie Brothers, as well as country rock pioneers like The Byrds, The Flying Burrito Brothers, Emmylou Harris, Vince Gill, and country stars including Willie Nelson, Mickey Gilley, Joe Diffie, Tammy Wynette… well, you get the idea.

But his heart was in Bluegrass. He was born in Caldwell, Kansas and grew up in the Oklahoma/Kansas border area. He began playing the fiddle when he was 5 years old, and he recorded his first record with the Dillards when he was 21 in 1965, the same year he won the National Oldtime Fiddler’s Contest in Weiser, Idaho for the first time (he won it again in 1967 and 1970).

Also that year, Bill Monroe heard him play at the Newport Festival and offered him a job with his Bluegrass Boys on the spot. Byron turned him down until he finished his education at Oklahoma University.

After earning a teaching degree in Physical Education, Byron took Monroe up on the offer to play in his band in 1967, but he was drafted before the year was over. Soon after his discharge from the army in 1969 Byron moved to southern California and ended up playing on the Rolling Stones “Let it Bleed” album. Needless to say, with that gig added to his resume his music career really took off.

In addition to his music career, Byron made a brief appearance in the movie, “The Rose,” in 1979. He also made a brief appearance in the first episode of the television series “Star Trek: The Next Generation” in 1987. His music can be heard in several movies as well.

Despite his rock star status, Berline remained a down to earth, humble person who was always ready to help anyone he could. He is most often described as a gentleman. Many Seminole County residents may remember when he appeared with his band at the Sorghum Festival in Wewoka in 2016.

In 1995 Byron returned to Oklahoma following the death of his father-in-law. He opened the Double Stop Fiddle Shop in Guthrie, where he could often be found visiting with the customers. In 1996 Byron staged the first Oklahoma International Bluegrass Festival (OIBF) which became an annual event and lived up to its name, attracting the very best in Bluegrass entertainment from around the world. A small sample of performers from the past include Randy Skaggs, Willie Nelson, and Vince Gill.

In 2008 Byron created the OIBF Music Scholarship Program, with proceeds from the festival, as well as other funding sources, providing scholarships for young musicians between the ages of 10 – 16. The winners also have the opportunity to perform on stage during the festival, a very popular part of the show.

Although his recorded music will be around forever, his bigger legacy may be the young performers that received the boost they needed with these scholarships, as well as the ones he inspired. In the true spirit of Bluegrass music, it’s what you pass on to the next generation that really counts.