Rudy Cipolla

[jim1960]

Since the early 1990s I've been researching my family history and building a family tree. I'm not only trying to go backwards with my direct line, but I've also worked at adding siblings of my direct ancestors and working those lines forward. My tree currently has well over 3000 people and it's always growing. It's been very interesting and I've learned a ton, but last week took a very unexpected turn.

Through my Ancestry account, I received a message from a woman who was seeking photographs and information for a book she was writing a book about a well-known mandolin player named Rudy Cipolla. I immediately recognized the Cipolla name as being the maiden name of my great-grandmother but I had no recollection of a Rudy and my first thought was she saw the same name and is hoping I may be related. But before I wrote back and said I couldn't be of any help, I took a minute to check my tree. Sure enough, in my tree was a Rudolfo Vincenzo Cipolla (21 Sep 1900 - 8 Jan 2000). It turns out Rudy Cipolla was a first cousin to my great-grandmother.

The woman who contacted me was a friend of Rudy's when he was alive. She even performed with him on occasion. She came to me hoping for answers to some questions but I was one with about a million questions. She told me about my cousin... Rudy owned a book store called The Book Nook in San Francisco. The store was to supplement his income when the music wasn't paying very well. Rudy wrote most of the music he performed as he didn't really enjoy playing other people's music (a trait he and I share). Among his fans were Francis Ford Coppola and David Grisman. Copolla placed Rudy's music in two of his films, Peggy Sue Got Married and Tucker. David Grisman threw Rudy a party for his 90th birthday at the Great American Music Hall in San Francisco.


Rudy composing music in his book store.

In today's mail was a package. Inside was this Fall 2007 copy of The Fretboard Journal. Mixed in with articles about Earl Scruggs, David Bromberg, and Fylde Guitars was an article about Rudy that this woman had written years ago. David Bromberg is one of my guitar heroes. I'm feeling immense family pride to see Rudy's name across the top with Bromberg's. I'm so incredibly grateful to now own a copy of this issue.

I never met Rudy. Never knew anything about him other than his name and the usual information about his birth and death and I'm feeling a bit cheated because he and I would have had so much in common. But I'm feeling quite proud to know I share a bit of the same blood with Rudy Cipolla, my first cousin, three times removed.

[frankmcr]

Rudy Cipolla was one of the all time great mandolinists. I have his "Mandolin Maestro" CD - the man could play!!!