Thursday, some Virginians celebrated a special birthday as long-time fiddler Lovell Coleman turns 94. He became a professional musician at the age of 14, and even now he tours nursing homes to share his energy and talent.
Lovell Coleman grew up in Charlottesville – one of five kids in a working class family. There wasn’t much money for lessons or instruments, but when someone donated a violin to his music-loving mom, Coleman picked it up and taught himself to play.
Two years after he got his fiddle, Lovell was playing with a local band – the Virginia Vagabonds. It was, he admits, a challenge to perform and still get to school on time.
“We played until 12 o’clock, got to bed by 2 o’clock in the morning, then go to school the next day," Coleman recalls. "My father told my mother the fiddle is going to be the ruination of Lovell, and I’m so glad that I got to be ruined.”
And it was that line that led filmmaker Ross McDermott to call his documentary The Ruination of Lovell Coleman. He and his crew first met the man when they were shooting a film about a community garden.
“Lovell was next door to the garden putting a roof on a house by himself at age 83!" McDermott says. "We were like, ‘We have to meet this guy!’”
Over the months, a friendship formed – McDermott enjoying his long, leisurely chats with Coleman.
“His pace of life is so slow, because of the way he moves and the way he talks, and it was so nice for me to go from my hectic world to go spend an afternoon with Lovell and just talk about the tomato plants for two hours,” McDermott says.
It was also inspiring to watch him play. Fellow musician Jim Morrison describes Coleman’s gift on stage.
“There’s a quality of putting character into a tune that players do, and there are people who are terrific technicians that nobody wants to hear. They play the notes, but they’re not saying anything with the notes, and Lovell, to me, is the opposite. Boy is he talking!”
At a senior residence called the Laurels of Charlottesville, activities director Linda Savaiinaea says it’s a joy to have him in the house.
“When I first saw his violin case, I mean it’s completely coming apart. The violin itself just looks like an elderly piece of – an instrument, you know. But when he picked it up it came to life, and everything was young and energized.”
And Ed Hopkins, former pastor of the Hinton Avenue Methodist Church, is still smiling at the memory of one senior who stood up and danced when he heard Coleman play.
“Lovell would make those strings smoke, and this fella’ came across the room and he was sweating and he came up and all of a sudden he just said, ‘Play that thing, Pops!’ He was transported back to a joyful time in his life.”
Coleman was excited to perform at the sold-out screening of McDermott’s film last week, and when asked if he was pleased with the documentary he said, “Certainly. Let’s do it again.”
He’ll play a free concert Thursday night at 6:30 in Charlottesville’s Belmont Baptist Church before the film is shown.