Eric Weisberg
We have just learned that Eric Weissberg has passed away this past Sunday in a nursing home in Detroit. He was aged 80 years.
Juliet Weissberg, his wife of 34 years, said that Eric died as a result of complications from Alzheimer’s disease.
Eric was best remembered by some for his work in the movie soundtrack for the movie Deliverance, the 1972 movie that not only shocked people with its content, but once again turned millions of ears towards the exciting sound of the 5 string banjo.
The soundtrack to Deliverance was also award gold status, for sales of more than 500,000 copies.
Eric Weisberg also played fiddle, mandolin and guitar and prior to his Dueling Banjos accolade he was a member of two popular folk groups, the Greenbriar Boys and the Tarriers, and also was in-demand session musician in and around New York.
Some of the more notable albums on which Eric Weisberg played are:
- Judy Collins’s “Fifth Album,” “Pack Up Your Sorrows.”
- John Denver’s 1971 Top 10 pop hit, “Take Me Home, Country Roads.”
- Bob Dylan’s “Blood on the Tracks” (1974),
- Billy Joel’s “Piano Man” (1973) and the
- Talking Heads’ “Little Creatures” (1985).
- He collaborated with jazz musicians like Bob James and Herbie Mann as well.
Very Sorry to hear of Eric Weisberg’s passing. Many of us banjo players listened intently to his picking after Deliverance, his combination of three finger picking and melodic style. RIP