Rayna Gellert (born December 15, 1975) is an American fiddler, acoustic guitarist, singer, and songwriter specializing in old-time music.

Rayna Gellert
Gellert at MerleFest 2007
Gellert at MerleFest 2007
Background information
Birth nameRayna Gellert
Born (1975-12-15) December 15, 1975 (age 48)
OriginIndiana, U.S.
GenresFolk, americana, bluegrass
Instrument(s)Violin, acoustic guitar, vocals
WebsiteRayna Gellert's website

Gellert is a former member of the Freight Hoppers. From 2003 to 2009 she performed and recorded with the all-female old-time band Uncle Earl. In 2003, she was a featured performer at the Smithsonian Folklife Festival. She has also performed with the dance company Rhythm in Shoes, the West African-influenced band Toubab Krewe, Abigail Washburn, and Scott Miller. She has toured throughout the United States, Europe, and Chile.

She has been a finalist at the Appalachian String Band Music Festival in Clifftop, Fayette County, West Virginia several times.

Early life and education

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Rayna Gellert was born on December 15, 1975. She grew up in Elkhart, in northern Indiana, formerly lived in Asheville, North Carolina, and is currently based in Nashville, Tennessee.[1] Her father is the traditional fiddler, banjo player, and singer Dan Gellert. Originally a classically trained violinist, she took up the old-time fiddle in 1994, when she moved to North Carolina to attend Warren Wilson College.[2] She received a bachelor's degree from Warren Wilson College. Gellert plays a fiddle that belonged to her great-grandfather, a Hungarian orchestral musician, and guitar.[1]

Career

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Gellert has played and recorded with Abigail Washburn, Loudon Wainwright III, Tyler Ramsey, Robyn Hitchcock, and others. She has appeared at music festivals including Bonnaroo, Telluride Bluegrass Festival, and RockyGrass.[1]

Discography

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As leader

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  • Ways of the World (2000)
  • Old Light- Songs from my Childhood & Other Gone Worlds (2012)
  • Workin's Too Hard (2017)

With Uncle Earl

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  • 2004 - Going to the Western Slope (EP)
  • 2004 - Raise A Ruckus (EP)
  • 2005 - She Waits For Night (Rounder)
  • 2007 - Waterloo, Tennessee (Rounder)

With Susie Goehring

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  • Starch & Iron (2005)

With Scott Miller

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Extended plays

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  • CoDependents (2012)[3]

With The Brothers K

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Extended plays

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  • Rayna Gellert & the Brothers K (2015)

With Kieran Kane

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  • The Ledges (2018)
  • When the Sun Goes Down (2019)
  • The Flowers That Bloom in Spring (2022)

References

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  1. ^ a b c Coryell Williams, Heidi (May 31, 2013). "The Memory Project: Rayna Gellert". Our State.
  2. ^ "The Swannanoa Gathering- Old-Time Week Staff Pg.1". www.swangathering.com. Archived from the original on April 28, 2003. Retrieved January 17, 2022.
  3. ^ "Scott Miller Official Website". thescottmiller.com. Archived from the original on August 3, 2013. Retrieved January 17, 2022.
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