Sonny Mead, Long time Richmond and Central Virginia Fiddler in Ill Health

Sonny Mead has always been a rather private person, although he has been eager to help aspiring fiddlers learn their craft and encouraged them at every turn to join with others and jam to better their skills.  I am told he suffers from ALS, better known and Lou Gherig's Disease.

Sonny is living at the Hanover Health & Rehabilitation Center, 8139 Lee-Davis Road, Mechanicsville, VA, Room 508.  The phone number for the center is 804-559-5030.  I have been informed that Sonny has lost his ability to speak and his legs are of little use.  He can communicate, although he is difficult to understand.  He has not had many visitors, so those who feel so moved to visit, please do so, but be aware he is a proud and private person and may not wish to see you.  I think it best to send cards and letters to Sonny expressing your thoughts and memories of his many years fiddling in the area.

My strongest memory of Sonny is when he was the fiddler for The Heights of Grass.  Most of us remember when Charlie Daniels had the big hit song, "The Devil Went Down To Georgia."  Well, The Heights of Grass decided to make the song part of their repertoire.  Sonny would put on this goofy looking hat with horns on it.  It was supposed to represent to devil, but I always thought he looked like a Viking when he had it on.  They had a really good time with that song.  Sonny was part of the Bluegrass scene around Central Virginia when I first seriously became interested in Bluegrass and began educating myself about it.  After taking the reins at The Virginia Bluegrass Family, I noticed Sonny came to our meetings quite often.  He always seemed to have fun.

Sonny appeared at The Richmond Folk Festival a year or so ago along with banjoist, John Robison, demonstrating how the banjo and fiddle were vital parts of the folk music scene.  The following is a write up describing Sonny on the Richmond Folk Festival web page:

"Fiddler Sonny Mead is admired and welcomed by musicians and fans alike.  As a free-lance fiddler he has played with such country and bluegrass royalty as Patsy Cline, Jimmy Martin, and Hank Thompson. In the late 70's he was a member of the successful blugrass band "The Heights of Grass" and he has graced the stage of the Grand Old Opry on more than one occasion.  Sonny's fiddling is featured on numerous albums and recordings, among them "The World's Hottest Fiddlers".  He was instrumental in the founding of the Virginia Bluegrass & Country Music Foundation, and is a four time Virginia State Champion fiddler.  Sonny continues to be a mover and shaker in the local music scene.  He also restores and repairs fiddles, and is much sought after as a fiddle teacher."