Dennis Caplinger

American multi-instrumentalist and Grammy Award winner from Vista, California. Father of Zack Caplinger. Died August 14, 2021 at age 57. Caplinger was equally skillful on fiddle, mandolin, guitar, resophonic guitar, bass, piano, and percussion instruments, as can be heard on many of the albums in the Pickin' On series. Caplinger began his professional career at age 13 with Bluegrass, Etc., which lasted over four decades and took him throughout all the lower 48 states of the U.S.A., to various parts of Europe, Canada, Alaska, and Japan. Additionally, he played with The Ray Park Rangers, Death Valley Pizza, Kim Evans, Berkley Hart, Eve Selis, and was a long-time member of Tim Flannery’s band and of the Academy of Country Music Awards Show band. Caplinger was a busy sideman and studio musician in San Diego, Los Angeles and Nashville. His discography includes sessions for Eric Clapton; JJ Cale; One Direction; Vince Gill; Chris Hillman and Herb Pedersen; Dan Crary; Byron Berline; John Reischman; Jann Browne, for whom he produced Count Me In; Kevin Welch; Kelly Willis; Ray Price; Rita Coolidge, as part of the female trio Walela; Buck Howdy; and many San Diego-based artists, including Tim Flannery; Eve Selis, Barbara Nesbitt; Lexington Field; and Ron Steven Houston, among others. He went on the road with the likes of Browne; Welch; Willis; Richard Greene; Kenny Loggins; Juice Newton; B.J. Thomas; America; and Nickel Creek alums Chris Thile and Sean Watkins. Caplinger is one of the featured artists in the documentary, "Banjos, Bluegrass & Squirrel Barkers", and played banjo and reso-guitar in "When to Die", a feature length documentary about the history and culture of Civil War re-enactment. Caplinger recorded on a number of film soundtracks including "Back To The Future III"; "El Diablo"; "Rio Diablo"; "Midnight Run To Oklahoma"; "Apt Pupil"; and "A Million Ways To Die in the West", among others; and played mandolin with the onstage band in the Broadway stage musical, "Bright Star". He played on the soundtracks of animated children’s TV programs "Histeria!"; "Pinky and the Brain"; "Family Guy"; and "The Simpsons", as well as in the HBO hit Western series, "Deadwood". He was heard on numerous TV programs on PBS, A&E, TNN, Biography, and The History Channel, and appeared on the variety talk show "Martha" (aka "The Martha Stewart TV Show"). Caplinger had his own production company based in his home town and later in Murrieta, California. He worked on commercials for New York Life, Home Depot, Subway Sandwiches, Discover Card, Cingular Wireless (with Bluegrass, Etc.), and others. Caplinger authored three books in the "Ultimate Beginner" series, teaching the basics for banjo, guitar, and mandolin. Later he added DVDs to the books. His other writing credits include two books in "The Complete Idiot’s Guide" series, one for banjo and another for mandolin; and frequent contributions to "Banjo Newsletter" magazine.