Al Lester

Bernard "Al" Lester (January 8, 1932 - May 14, 1991) was a Muscle Shoals fiddler who born in Bishop, VA growing up in the Poor Valley of southwest Virginia. He learned to play fiddle from his father and grandfather and, as a young man, worked as a staff musician at WCMS in Norfolk. For most of his life, he lived in north Alabama where he made his living as a barber and became involved in the Muscle Shoals music industry, recording with Willie Nelson, Mac Davis, Wilson Pickett, Boz Scaggs and others. His career included performances with Bill Monroe, the Original Dixie Gentleman, Mac Wiseman, and the Alabama bluegrass group, the Warrior River Boys. He taught a number of students in his backyard studio who went on to perform in regional bluegrass and country bands.