On Tuesday, Oct. 16, 2018, Bert Carlson passed away at age 62 in Charlottesville, after a long battle with prostate cancer.

As a professional musician, Bert touched many lives with his versatile electric and acoustic guitar styles. He performed a wide range of traditional jazz, swing jazz, bluegrass, blues, rock, and folk music. He played in variety of bands both as a leader and a sideman and performed solo.

Among musicians and fans, Bert was known for his generous and inclusive nature in sharing the joy of music.

As a teen, Bert taught himself guitar in his hometown of Kewanee, Ill. Bert started playing guitar professionally in central Illinois in 1976, playing jazz, blues, shows and commercial gigs, and teaching music at Illinois State University and Lincoln College.

In 1985, Bert moved to Washington, D.C., where for the next 14 years he averaged over 300 engagements a year. His recordings included commercials, television spots, film music, and studio work on various CDs.

In 1999 he moved to the Shenandoah Valley, where he learned bluegrass guitar, performed music full-time, and taught guitar as a member of the adjunct faculty at Washington and Lee University. In Bath County, Bert was known as an annual performer at the Garth Newel Music Center's Virginia Jazz and Blues Festival.

Notable performing and recording partnerships included Staunton jazz vocalist Jennifer Kirkland and multi-instrumentalist Danny Knicely.

In 2018, Bert was acknowledged as a Master Artist by the Virginia Folklife Program, a public program of the Virginia Humanities, for mentoring Danny in jazz and swing guitar.

In recent years with the help of numerous friends and family, Bert made and sold maple syrup in Bath County.

He also was vigorously active in opposing the proposed Atlantic Coast Pipeline, which he believed threatens clean water, forests, farmlands, communities, and climate change. Throughout his life, Bert's interest in history and Illinois heritage manifested in his vast reading and knowledge on President Abraham Lincoln.

He is survived by his wife of 29 years, Marian Quinlan; brother, William Carlson and his wife, Bonnie Carlson and their two children; and aunts, uncles, and cousins. He was beloved by his father-in-law, his mother-in-law, his sisters-in-law, and their husbands and children, his innumerable friends and fans, and his dog, Brenda Lee.

A memorial celebration of Bert's life will be announced later this fall.

Those wishing to honor Bert's memory by supporting a cause close to his heart are welcome to make donations to Jennifer Lewis for Congress, P. O. Box 1914, Staunton, VA 24402 and/or to the Chesapeake Climate Action Network, 33 S. 13th St. Suite C, Richmond, VA 23219.