“Paul Shelasky is one of the most soulful, swinging, and versatile fiddlers I’ve ever had the pleasure of playing with. He can play everything from a Benny Martin inspired solo on a classic bluegrass song to a harmonically advanced improvisation on a swing standard, and both will groove like crazy. Not only that, he also has a fine appreciation of the subtleties of the Three Stooges.” - John Reischman

“When I first heard Paul Shelasky's fiddling as a member of the Phantoms of the Opry, sometime in the early 1970’s, I became an instant fan. All these years later, I am still in awe of the way he balances and blends the flavors of traditional fiddling into his own original tunes. He is a musical treasure, and almost unknown outside of Northern California for way too long. It’s about time he gave us a way to share his music with the rest of the world!” - Laurie Lewis

“Paul Shelasky is one of those under-appreciated, very inspiring musicians who has a loyal fanbase that should be way bigger and broader. He's an accomplished mandolinist and guitarist, pretty good on the banjo and dobro, but it’s his fiddling — the fiery, inventive, glorious stuff — that sets your hair on fire. With a huge vocabulary of styles and influences, he forges a sound that is all his own, instantly recognizable and often imitated. I played in the Good Ol' Persons with Paul Shelasky for 13 years, recorded and collaborated with him, laughed and groaned at his infamous jokes, and was continually surprised and delighted by the stuff he played down at the end of stage right. But my favorite way to appreciate Paul's musicality is to sit back and watch him play with other musicians and give him my undivided attention as he continues to reinvent and amplify the world of acoustic music.” - Kathy Kallick

“Paul Shelasky has been my musical hero for as long as I can remember. His solos are exciting and inventive, and his original compositions are beautiful and unpretentious. He's frighteningly versatile, being a chameleon when it comes to playing in various genres, and is even able to morph his playing into the unique styles of individual musicians. But above all, he evokes the widest range of emotions when he plays, from the most melancholy heartbreak to the ridiculous and hilarious. To me, that's what music is all about, so I'm very excited about this retrospective album which will allow us to enjoy his music for generations to come." - Annie Staninec

Liner Notes:
Grey Eagle was inspired by a recording by Texas Shorty and Richard Greene’s version with Bill Monroe. China Camp was inspired by Richard Greene, my first major fiddling hero, who suggested that I listen to his main inspiration—Scotty Stoneman. I learned Grigsby’s hornpipe from a 1963 field recording of the legendary Texas fiddler, A.C. “Eck” Robertson.

As regards Jesusita En Chihuahua, my friend Tom Marion took me to meet an old Mariachi fiddler in San Jose, California around 1974, which is where I learned all the parts I play. The 10-Bar intro is from an old 78 record by Chu-Chu Martinez and his Orchestra.
The last three tracks were written in Tokyo when I was playing at Tokyo Disneyland and recorded in a living room right after I had written them and obviously before I had learned the chords. You might notice on the second tune of track #16 that there is no pitch correction on the fiddles. Pitch correction is not a standard feature of my playing, but rather, an extra-cost option.

A big thank you to all the musicians involved and to the recording engineers: Eric Uglum, Matt Dudman, John Altman, Bob Lindner, Jon Cherry, Walden Dahl and Liz Meyer.
Also, special thanks to Kathy Kallick, Peter Thompson and Ed & Brijet Neff.
Very special thanks to Jon Grier for re-mastering and editing and to Tyler Stegall for the album graphics.

All tunes are public domain except the following:
3. ©1983, 2022 Paul Shelasky Tatraplan Music, BMI
5. ©1982 - 2022 Paul Shelasky Tatraplan Music, BMI
13. ©1982 - 2022 Paul Shelasky Tatraplan Music, BMI
14, 15, 16. ©2022 Paul Shelasky Tatraplan Music, BMI