To friends, he’s still the famous fiddler

EVERETT — Bluegrass fiddler and folk legend Fred Weisz bowed deeply to the standing ovation and roar of applause.

“Welcome to a night to honor Fred Weisz! Let’s hear it for Fred!”

With that, longtime musician Flyin’ Fred was airborne again.

About 85 of his friends and fellow musicians from around the region packed Temple Beth Or.

They all came to cheer Weisz and see him in two rare television clips from “Hootenanny” in 1964 and “The Ed Sullivan Show” in 1970.

People at Saturday’s gathering were excited to see how famous Weisz had been long before he started playing for spare change outside the Snohomish County Courthouse.

“Wow! That’s our Fred,” said Ron Green, head of membership at Temple Beth Or.

Weisz was about 20 years old when he appeared with the Even Dozen Jug Band on “Hootenanny.” A camera zoomed in for a black and white close-up of a fiddle solo played by Weisz.

“He was so handsome!” a woman yelled.

By 1970, Weisz was playing with Goose Creek Symphony, and they backed up country star Bobbie Gentry on Sullivan’s show.

In bib overalls, plaid shirt and black-rimmed glasses, Weisz played during a medley of songs with the long-legged, bare-midriffed Gentry.

The Everett audience leapt to their feet after Weisz finished his fiddle solo, a challenging classic called “Fire on the Mountain.”

For years, Weisz, 63, yearned to see the old clip. He got his wish when amateur filmmaker Adam Martin of Athens, Tenn., last August read a story on Weisz on Heraldnet.com.

Martin, a lifelong fan of Goose Creek Symphony, knew he could help.

In October, Martin mailed a copy of “The Ed Sullivan Show” he had purchased for a documentary he’s making about the band.

Supporters at the Everett synagogue started work on a celebration and agreed to film Weisz’s reaction for Martin’s documentary.

Weisz waited patiently for those months, promising not to peek at the 10 minutes of footage he’d long wanted to see.

On Saturday, his satisfaction was clear.

“It was great!” Weisz said after seeing the clip. “To me, it was the biggest accomplishment of my career as a musician, playing on the same stage as The Beatles.”

His memory of the event had clouded with the passage of time, he said.

“I was so surprised when I saw that clip,” Weisz said.

After the show was recorded, Weisz and bandmate Charlie Gearhart ran into Ed Sullivan in a stairway. He told them “You boys are mighty fine,” Weisz said.

Martin has already received a call and thanks from Weisz.

“He called me Sunday morning and he was on cloud nine,” said Martin, who hopes to finish his documentary this summer. “I’m tickled to death to provide something that brings some happiness to his life.”

Weisz played fiddle, bass, banjo and guitar professionally starting in the 1960s. He’s slowed down in recent years but still plays outside the courthouse when the weather is nice and travels to Burlington on Tuesdays for a regular bluegrass jam.

Weisz takes medication for bipolar manic depression. A recent change in his dosage helped reduce the tremors that had slowed his playing.

He says he’s playing faster than he has in years.

He also plays regular lunchtime gigs at Compass Health on Broadway.

Weisz comes across as a regular guy who doesn’t brag about his past, Green said.

Everyone agreed Weisz deserves the praise. Old friends came into town to surprise him for the showing.

“He’s got such a great crowd of friends,” said Les Peterson of Lake Stevens. “He taught me a lot about musicianship.”

Paul Vexler of Machias brought to the celebration a copy of the Even Dozen Jug Band album he bought in Freehold, NJ, in the 1960s. He was a fan of Fred decades before the two met at temple. “It’s amazing how paths cross,” he said. The event celebrated Weisz’s contribution to the world of music and the local community, he said.

For the celebration, Weisz traded his trademark jeans, suspenders and sneakers for a white dress shirt, sport coat and slacks. At Weisz’s request, the crowd dined on cheesecake, pineapple and chocolate milk as part of a friendly potluck organized by Carolyn Wexler.

“He’s just a wonderful guy who has a wonderful talent,” said Barb Ingrain of Edmonds. “It’s nice to see him honored.”

After the accolades, more than a dozen bluegrass musicians from the Tuesday night jams pulled out their guitars, mandolins and a banjo and played in the temple for more than an hour.

Fred’s fiddle rang through on foot-stomping reels.

Marc Daniel of Mount Vernon has known Weisz since about 1980, when he used to book concerts. “It’s good to see him still playing,” he said Saturday.

“Everybody adores Fred,” said Steve Stolpe of Mount Vernon, a friend of Weisz for 30 years. “They like Fred’s authenticity. He’s real down-home.”

Weisz basked in the adulation and said he was grateful.

“I’m just delighted to see everyone,” Weisz said. “All my friends are above average in a lot of ways. I value every friend I have.”

Reporter Jeff Switzer: 425-339-3452 or jswitzer@heraldnet.com.