Renowned Japanese American fiddler Shoji Tabuchi, a performer in Branson, Missouri; died from pancreatic cancer at 79 on Friday, his step-daughter Chrissy Lingo-Tabuchi, said on Facebook.
Tabuchi had been a violinist since he was seven years old and began his pursuit of country and bluegrass music after seeing American singer Roy Acuff perform in college.
It was in the early 1980s when Tabuchi moved to the U.S from Japan. According to Koam News, Tabuchi had moved to Nashville where he “reconnected with Akuff.” This rekindling granted Tabuchi a performance at the Grand Ole Opry, a venue that he would constantly return to. He also lived in Kansas City before moving to Branson, reports USA Today.
He was a fiddler who strayed from sticking to just performing country music as he performed pop, rock, rap and gospel as well.
Tabuchi founded his own theater, the Shoji Tabuchi Theatre, in the 1990s in Branson and launched an eponymous show featuring his wife, Dorothy Lingo, and his stepdaughter, Christina-Lingo Tabuchi. This family production helped establish Tabuchi’s reputation.
He was recognized as a musical prodigy with awards including the Japanese Foreign Minister’s Award, the Missourian Award, and the Daughters of the American Revolution’s Americanism Medal.
His stepdaughter, Christina, shared a post remembering her father.
“He was surrounded by me, my mom, Dorothy Tabuchi, my brother, John Tabuchi, and my husband, Brad Pride. We are devastated and heartbroken,” Christina writes. “Dad was always larger than life.”
Tabuchi was inducted into the National Hall of Fiddler Fame in 2020 where his memory lives on.
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