Eddie Ray Buzzini
Written by Rick Heldmann on June 19, 2023
I started the interview with Eddie Ray Buzzini, from Mooresville, NC, and now I am finishing with Ettore Buzzini. Eddie Ray was the Stage name that he chose, only because people had trouble pronouncing his given name, Ettore, pronounced (Ee-tore-aa). Also, he is proud of his Swiss Italian Heritage.
When Ettore was 6 years old, his Grandfather came to him holding his old, small, iPod Mp3 player. He said, clean off whatever is on here, and then you will be able to record your own music! Eddie was curious, especially because he had never really found any music that piqued his interest. So, he played the music on the iPod first. Turns out, the song that was on it was the Banjo Classic, ‘Shuckin’ The Corn’. Eddie Ray’s question was, what is that instrument? Then, when he found out, he exclaimed ‘I want to play the Banjo!’
Eddie Ray’s musical interest expanded shortly after that, as he began to learn to play the guitar, But, when he got his banjo, it was love at first sight. However, about one month into learning the new instrument, his Mom, Yvonne, could hardly take it anymore. So, they made contact with Bill Rippey, an area music teacher, who was more than glad to help everyone. Earl Scruggs was Ettore’s first hero, but then he became interested in Don Reno and his ‘Country Boy Rock & Roll’ style. So, then he did concentrate more on the guitar.
Ettore started going to the Ashe County NC, County Fiddlers Conventions, and his love of Bluegrass was growing by leaps & bounds. Further, this is where he began his performance career, at a young age.
It didn’t take this writer long to determine that both of us have a common ground. Ettore loves all types of music. Although his appreciation is diverse, his focus appears to be laser set. Starting out playing Bluegrass and some Country, he has become a huge fan of Bluegrass. Ettore is not only an accomplished musician, he is very intelligent, personable and communicative. These qualities are definitely pluses in his discipline of choice. Plus, I would definitely be reluctant to engage him in a trivia contest, with regards to recent or even older history of Bluegrass.
For Ettore’s short-term goal, he has a strong desire to bring Bluegrass music to way more of his own generation. For his High School’s annual yearbook, this year, the school’s Annual production team created a Feature Section on Bluegrass, for Ettore. Apparently, this created a great deal of discussion and new interest at the school.
Longer term, Ettore has some ideas. He has dreams of playing the old classic songs of Earl Scruggs at the Earl Scruggs Festival next year, for Earl’s 100 Birthday. He also wants to play some of his favorites, and some of his own new, original songs. He wants to fill a large arena, like the Grand Ole Opry, and have the crowd go wild in response to his work. He wants to become a full-time, professional musician and live his dreams. By the way, Eddie Ray is 15 years old now, and does play classic covers, contemporary hits, and his own songs, as of today. Here are all the platforms where you may find his recordings:
https://open.spotify.com/artist/5TgonnJ4ivNt9FL7M2sb64?_sm_byp=iVVbQKRjHnWkQnbF
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCM3-tcL9cmKhPRzFBvFLwEg
