[Vision2020] National fiddle champion Tony Ludiker dies

[lfalen]

Spokane has produces several top fiddlers. John Francis was one of he best. He won the national competition several years in a row with his rendition of The Orange Blossom Special.
Good fiddle  music is hard to beat.
Roger




-----Original Message-----
Subject: [Vision2020] National fiddle champion Tony Ludiker dies
From: "Tom Hansen" <thansen at moscow.com>
To: "Moscow Vision 2020" <vision2020 at moscow.com>
Date: 12/04/14 16:18:50

Courtesy of today's (December 4, 2014) Spokesman-Review.
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National fiddle champion Tony Ludiker diesFive-time national fiddle champion Tony Ludiker, a classically trained Spokane Valley music legend who toured internationally, has died following a lengthy battle with kidney cancer. He was 52.Ludiker's death Tuesday night in Spokane was announced by his daughter, Kimber, a founding member of the Grammy-nominated bluegrass band Della Mae."Tough day for our family, friends, and the fiddle world in whole," she said in a Facebook posting shortly before 11 p.m. "Dad lost his battle to cancer this evening. He went peacefully surrounded by family while listening to Benny Thomasson play 'Sally Goodin.' More info to follow. Been a hard day."Ludiker, a 1980 graduate of Central Valley High School, played and taught fiddle in Spokane for decades and was a regular performer at the Flying W Ranch in Colorado Springs, Colorado, for six years before the
venue was destroyed by wildfire in 2012.In addition to teaching and touring, Ludiker was an accomplished classical musician who served as concertmaster for the Coeur d'Alene Symphony a decade ago. He also performed with British rocker Rod Stewart and country singer Ray Price.Ludiker, who had been living in Colorado Springs in recent years, had beat cancer once, but learned in 2012 that it had returned.This past August he started a Facebook page detailing his ongoing treatments and on Nov. 21 posted this to his personal page: "Huge change. Leaving Colorado tonight for Spokane to die soon - unless something happens on the alternative front. My days are bad and getting worse."Last year, friends and family organized a benefit fundraiser for him to help with escalating medical bills. His daughter's band headlined the sold-out event, which drew scores of his former students."I feel
very fortunate," he said in an interview with The Spokesman-Review in 2013. "I've been involved in fiddling for 40 years. Until a few years ago it was basically in Spokane. I've been so involved in it and trained so many people. … They are all friends and feel like family."--------------------Tony Ludiker was an accomplished old-time fiddler and classical musician.http://www.spokesman.com/photos/2014/dec/04/276331/ --------------------------------------
"Say Old Man" by Tony Ludikerhttp://youtu.be/eutWJf46-DQ Rest well, Mr. Ludiker.

Seeya 'round town, Moscow, because . . .
"Moscow Cares"http://www.MoscowCares.com  Tom HansenMoscow, Idaho     =======================================================
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