Edwin Gary Bennett

Gary Bennett was born on October 1, 1940 to Howard E. Bennett and Dorothy A. Taylor in Point Pleasant, New Jersey. He was the oldest of four children. From every indication Gary was always going to be a musician. His son Eddie mentioned that Gary could play anything with strings on it. He was a well-known mandolin, banjo, and guitar player but he was also just as at home playing the bass and the Dobro. Always looking to bring others along on his musical journey he started teaching Eddie to play when he was just six years old. In his younger days he traveled as a musician playing both Bluegrass and Country music with bands such as The Garden State Ramblers and the Tommy Boyle Band. Gary along with his wife Jane were regulars at the jams and shows in the South Jersey region. He was a teacher to many of the regular players in the region and an inspiration to all that knew him. Gary passed away on March 12, 2021.

 

Mike Edgerton Remembers Gary:

I met Gary several years ago when I decided to learn to play the mandolin. I had been playing a few months teaching myself when I started taking lessons from Gary. I recall those Wednesday evening lessons fondly. Gary would adapt to teach the way the student wanted to or needed to learn. I was amazed at how far I got in a short period of time. Gary was always quick with a story that illustrated who first did this lick or used another method in a song. He was an encyclopedia of musical knowledge and he shared it freely. To this day the things he showed me show up in my music. One of my greatest compliments came from Claire Gilsenan (another of Gary’s students) when I played a break on a song at a jam at Albert Hall and she said "Gary taught you that, didn’t he?" I asked her how she knew and she replied "Because you played it just like he does". He will be missed.