Robert Shafer is a flatpicking guitarist from West Virginia. He won the National Flatpicking Championship at Winfield, Kansas, in 1983 and again in 2000, seventeen years apart. He also placed third in the Winfield mandolin contest in 1984 and second in the guitar contest in 1991. Since the 2000s he has worked as a duo with West Virginia mandolinist Johnny Staats.
Why Shafer matters
Two Winfield titles seventeen years apart is rare. Most champions win in a short window and move on. Shafer won as a young player, then came back as a mature one and won again against a new generation. For a jammer, his record shows that clean, melodic flatpicking holds up across decades of changing fashion.
Life and career
Shafer comes from West Virginia. He entered the Walnut Valley Festival guitar contest as a young man and won it in 1983. His prize was a Gallagher G72 Special. The next year he placed third in the festival’s mandolin championship.
He placed second at Winfield in 1991. In 2000 he won the National Flatpicking Championship a second time and took home a Martin 12 fret 000-28VS. That same year he placed second at the Wayne Henderson Music Festival guitar competition in Virginia. He won the Henderson contest in 2002.
In the 2000s Shafer began recording with Johnny Staats, a mandolin player from Sandyville, West Virginia. The pair released Pickin Up Steam in 2004, Homecoming Favorites in 2007, and Music From the Mountains in 2016. They perform as Johnny Staats and Robert Shafer.
Shafer has taught and performed at flatpicking events for years. He appeared with fellow champions Robin Kessinger and Mark Cosgrove on the DVD Picking at Peaceful Bend, filmed at the Americana Music Festival in Steelville, Missouri. In 2010 he taught workshops there with Roy Curry and Bryan McDowell. At the 2019 Fly In Festival he played backup guitar for a young contestant in the flatpicking contest.
Playing style
Shafer plays fiddle tunes with the melody up front and a strong, even right hand. His contest arrangements stay close to the tune, then add runs that fill the space between phrases. On the Doc Watson tune Blackberry Rag, which he trades with Allen Shadd in a Dream Guitars video, his breaks stay in time and in tune at speed.
He has played Thompson guitars, and Bob Thompson’s shop has featured him as an artist.
Influences and legacy
Shafer’s long partnership with Johnny Staats ties him to the West Virginia string band tradition. He has shared stages and workshops with other Winfield champions, including Robin Kessinger, Mark Cosgrove, Roy Curry, Bryan McDowell, and Allen Shadd. His two titles make him a model for contest players who want a long career rather than a single win.
Signature tunes and songs
Bill Cheatham Blackberry Rag Tennessee Waltz.
Essential recordings
Pickin Up Steam, with Johnny Staats (2004) Homecoming Favorites, with Johnny Staats (2007) Music From the Mountains, with Johnny Staats (2016)
Awards and honors
National Flatpicking Championship, Walnut Valley Festival, first place (1983, 2000) National Flatpicking Championship, Walnut Valley Festival, second place (1991) Walnut Valley Mandolin Championship, third place (1984) Wayne Henderson Music Festival guitar competition, first place (2002) Wayne Henderson Music Festival guitar competition, second place (2000)
Watch and listen
Shafer and Allen Shadd trade breaks on Blackberry Rag for Dream Guitars. Listen for how each player hands the tune back without dropping the beat.
What to learn from Shafer
Learn Bill Cheatham as a two-part contest piece. Play the A and B parts straight, then write one variation for each that keeps the melody in the listener’s ear. The technique to steal is the way he trades breaks. Practice handing a tune to another guitarist every eight bars without changing tempo. That skill makes twin guitar sets work and keeps jams moving.
Sources
Winners archive, alphabetical, Walnut Valley Festival Robert Shafer, Pickers Paradise Guitar competition winners, Wayne Henderson Music Festival Johnny Staats, Wikipedia Picking at Peaceful Bend, Bluegrass Today Americana music and flatpicking guitar, Bluegrass Today 2019 Fly In Festival report, Bluegrass Today Thompson Guitar artist Robert Shafer, YouTube Dream Guitars performance, Blackberry Rag, Allen Shadd and Robert Shafer, YouTube
Related players
See the guitar players hub and the guitar guide for more flatpickers. Other Winfield champions on this site include Allen Shadd, Mark Cosgrove, Roy Curry, and Bryan McDowell.