Mike Schroeder revives a tradition

In the summer of 1988 Louisville mandolinist Michael Schroeder brought together a group of musicians who would come to be known as the Louisville Mandolin Orchestra.Schroeder wanted to revive the tradition of the "mandolin clubs" which had thrived in the early years of this century in Louisville and elsewhere.

Louisville's newspaper,The Courier-Journal, featured Schroeder and his novel idea of resurrecting the "mandolin club" in a front-page "Arts" section story early in the summer of 1988. The idea appealed to an eclectic group of mandolinists and guitarists who read the Courier-Journal story and answered the call for musicians.