Country Gentleman undergoes brain surgery while playing the banjo

Written by Dermot Watson on Thursday, 02 July 2009

In case you're unaware, The Country Gentlemen were a top-notch bluegrass band that featured players such as Ricky Skaggs. Someone made me aware of a video of Eddie Alcock, their banjo player, undergoing brain surgery in an attempt to stop a hand tremor that was getting in the way of his playing. I found it and thought that I had to share it with you all.

Eddie, who had been around for years and played with people like Bill Monore, wanted to keep on picking as long as he could so stayed conscious to direct the surgeons during the procedure. Hats off to Eddie, I think, but definitely not one to try at home.

Recommended

If you don't have any Country Gentlemen in your collection, I strongly advise you to get some. A great place to start would be The Vanguard Recordings. Worth a special mention is - possibly - the best ever recording of The House of The Rising Sun. A bold claim I know, but check out that Dobro playing!