Biography
Born Donald Lee Anthony on 20 December 1935 in Lincolnton, North Carolina, the musician died on 5 February 1980 at his home in Willborn, Florida. Bluegrass proficiency came early through childhood mastery of the fiddle, banjo, and guitar. Regular fiddle work with assorted Shelby-area ensembles in North Carolina occupied his teenage years. Mid-1950s employment included daily appearances on an Asheville television program within Cousin Wilbur’s band. The Stanley Brothers Clinch Mountain Boys welcomed him in 1956, prompting Nashville sessions that extended across 1956 and 1957. Relocation to Florida alongside the Stanleys produced further recordings at WNER Live Oak in 1959. Occasional performances with Charlie Moore and Bill Napier followed his exit from the group, yet no studio work occurred again until 1976, when he contributed to Moore’s noted Wheeling. A debut solo album appeared in 1978, the same year he organized Big Timber Bluegrass; together they issued several recordings on Old Homestead Records. Kidney failure and associated ailments prompted hospitalization in June 1979, resulting in his death eight months later.