Linda Fennimore
Linda Fennimore preservers to play again
By Geoffrey Maingart
Marina del Rey, CA (Hollywood Today)1/12/13/–This is a story that has to be told. An extraordinary woman who has succeeded against some of the most amazing challenges that life can throw at you is now sadly fighting cancer. Here is the story of this wonderful musician who I have known since the early 1970’s. We met at the University of Maryland where we were hired to play in the orchestra for a performance of a Mozart opera. It was easy to make her laugh and that laughter and incredible sense of humor has remained with her for life.
Back then when we first met she was recovering from a terrible auto accident that put her through the windshield of a car resulting in a broken neck. She was actually clinically dead for a few minutes. Her husband at the time, a doctor, realizing that her neck was broken made sure that she was brought back and transported to the hospital correctly. Normally she should have recovered except for an incompetent nurse who tried to change the bed sheets and moved her from the sand bags that supported her. She was nearly 100% paralyzed as a result. Everyone told her that she would never walk and certainly never play the violin again.
This talented girl, student of the great Oscar Shumsky refused to accept the diagnosis. She had a brother at the time, one of the great young pianists in America. At about this time her brother sadly had a heart attack skiing and passed away, a great loss for the world of music. Linda had a chance to meet the orthopedist from the Baltimore Colts at the time who said do not listen to these people. He told her if you have the will, then recovery is possible. Starting with squeezing a ball, she not only beat the odds and expert opinions, she eventually walked, played the violin again and went on to become a fine jazz violinist. This was all accomplished with atrophied muscles in her back and bones fused in her neck. She is actually written up in medical journals as a medical miracle.
My life took me to Europe, but we stayed close all of these years. Over time she worked with the great Stephane Grappelli in Paris, the great bass player, Milton “Judge” Hinton, Claude Bolling, Chuck Niles, Henny Youngman and too many others to even name. She performed often at the biggest clubs in New York including the World Trade Center where she was supposed to be the day it fell. She performed at jazz clubs here in LA and even at a festival in Venezia in Italy.
Linda was a unique performer not only known for her performances but also for a personal style with flamboyant hats right out of the 20’s and 30’s. She sang in her shows also and certainly has one of the most beloved recordings of “The Devil Comes Down To Georgia.”
A couple of years ago she was diagnosed with cancer and just like the history of her early life experts and doctors were not encouraging. She lost a great deal of weight and just like before she beat the disease. Her weight came back, knocked the disease into complete remission and she began performing again to the delight of her fans. Go to her website and watch the DVD of one of these performances at www.violinda.com. Nobody loved life more than Linda Fennimore and her last album is titled “Love Life,” a song written and sung by Linda.
After being in complete remission from the disease the cancer has sadly returned with a vengeance. Linda’s story must be told and hopefully her life will be an inspiration to all as it has been for me. She is still hanging in there and fighting as she has all of her life. With her extraordinary will she can hopefully beat the odds this time again.
5 responses so far ↓
1 Lynn Ramsey // Jan 13, 2013 at 3:50 pm
I met Linda Fennimore in 2011 when she played at the Chelsea Community Church (NYC) Candlelight Carol Service and completely bowled us over. There is no one like her for musicality and style. I can only liken her to a beautiful little angel with a violin. Despite her acute illness, she still has this wry sense of humor and fighting spirit. Please pray for this amazing woman who has endured more challenges than most people have in ten lifetimes.
2 Philip and Terry Toren // Jan 13, 2013 at 6:55 pm
We first met Linda Fennimore more than 10 years ago at the Florida Music Educators Conference in Tampa, where she was presenting a workshop on teaching string players how to play jazz! As music educators and performers we were so impressed with the workshop that we stood in line to speak with her afterward. To make a long story short, we asked her to perform for our daughter’s wedding in June of that same year. She traveled by train to Douthat State Park in Clifton Forge, VA, and stayed in a cabin that weekend and played for Rebekah and Jason’s outside garden wedding as well as the reception. Since then we became close friends and she and her father stayed with us in Florida as our guests one July. We had a cookout for the 4th of July, and she and her father enjoyed their first barbecue ever, they assured us! We have kept in contact and we have visited Linda, or she us, whenever our travels have taken us to the NYC area. She was there at the dock in June of 2011 to see us off on our cruse to Bermuda, and was there to greet us on our return. We love her so much, and pray that she will win the fight against this disease. She is an awesome lady and we cannot imagine not having her in our lives, and are so blessed to know her.
Phil and Terry Toren
Jupiter, FL
3 Kathleen Reid // Jan 14, 2013 at 2:09 pm
Linda played a solo for my church in November 2010, wearing a stunning ’40s-type hat with a veil nearly over her eyes. I was sitting in the front row in order to take photos. She played the Our Father; I was overwhelmed by the sweetness and prayerfulness of her playing. And I must have showed it, because she told me later that she couldn’t look at me or it would have messed up her timing. Later still she told me about her car accident (I show effects of one of my own) and her winning her first bout with cancer, where she had come back from hospice care. All-over inspirational!
I was allowed to take a personal CD player with me for gamma knife radiosurgery; of course I played her “Love Life” for that.
No one else has mentioned the incredible pain she has been in during this current time with cancer. She is so brave, such a fighter! May she survive again — and if she becomes a heaven-based angel, I know her powerful spirit will stay with us!
4 Paul E. Doniger // Jan 20, 2013 at 3:08 pm
Geoff’s article is mostly excellent, but there is one error that needs correction: It says, “At about this time her brother sadly committed suicide, a great loss for the world of music.” However, although Chick’s untimely death was a great loss, it was not the result of suicide. Arthur Fennimore died of a heart attack – a perfectly natural cause – in his early 40s. I hope Geoff will print a correction as soon as possible.
5 Harry Miller // Mar 2, 2013 at 11:52 pm
I am sorry to relay the very sad news from our apartment building management that Linda has passed away. RIP
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