Some unfortunate news from the world of old time music: notable fiddler Benton Flippen passed away on Tuesday night, June 28. Flippen had been in declining health in the past year. Known for his often bluesy and unique approach to bowing, usually attributed to Flippen’s unusually large hands, Flippen was a sought-after fiddler and a thriving artist from a time gone by. Born into a lineage of old time musicians, he got his start with local artists, forming the Green Valley Boys in the 1940s. In the 1970s, Flippen joined the Smokey Valley Boys, a grouping that best suited his talents and brought him some prestige and recognition in the world of old time music. In the years to come Flippen would be awarded multiple times for his fiddle mastery and was often considered a “fiddler’s fiddler.” At age 88, in 2009, Flippen headlined California’s Berkeley Old Time Music Convention. He was 90 years old.