Primary genres: Country, Fusion, Western Classical
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 Mark O'Connor has been a more recent inspiration for me. Although Ponty got into my head early, O'Connor's folk and fusion albums served to get my ear more open to raw fiddle style. Not only is he an amazing fiddle player (he won the national fiddle championship several times in a row, before he turned 18), he can stand toe to toe with the best in just about every other genre as well.Check out his most recent non-classical album, Heroes, to hear him with Ponty, Grappelli, Charlie Daniels, Shankar, Zukerman (yes, that Zukerman), and just about every other major player you can think of. This album, by the way, is also a great starting point for folks who haven't heard much non-classical violin and want some samples of different styles. (I point out "non-classical" because he recently released a recording of his first full violin concerto. The man's skill is just humbling.) My recommendations: If you want a great intro to the breadth of his skill, as well as a wide variety of playing styles, get Heroes. Alternately, get the Fiddle Concerto to see just how far you can take traditional fiddle style if you're talented enough. The New Nashville Cats won a Grammy, and for good reason (get this if you want a country/Nashville sound). All three fusion albums are good (Stone From Which the Arch Was Made, Elysian Forest, and On the Mark), but I'd go for Elysian Forest first. Everything prior to 1987 was (as far as I know) in the traditional fiddling style that made him famous. Here're some samples:
All songs copyright © Mark O'Connor.
Web/Email:
http://www.markoconnor.com
Discography Midnight on the Water (1998)
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We're Surrounded (.AIFF format, 330K, 30 second clip)