Tim assembled the first Tim Ware Group with the encouragement of David Grisman who’d heard early versions of Tim’s music and wanted to help him get a record deal. This resulted in a contract with Kaleidoscope Records in El Cerrito, California. The album was recorded in February and March of 1980 at 1750 Arch Street studios in Berkeley, California, and engineered by Bob Shumaker.

The group featured Tim on mandolin (Grisman’s beautiful blond Gibson F4) and guitar, Bob Alekno on guitar, John Tenney on violin, Sharon O’Connor on ‘cello, and Ken Miller on bass.

The track “Spiral Moons” was written for a mandolin quartet and Tim assembled a great ensemble to play it: David Grisman and Tim on mandolins, Darol Anger on mandola, and Mike Marshall on mandocello. This was an amazing session, and you can read more about it and see photos here.

The album photography was done by the great Baron Wolman, Rolling Stone magazine’s first Chief Photographer.

Shelter From The Norm

By 1983, Tim had written enough tunes for a second album, and after hearing a demo tape, Rounder Records agreed to release a new TWG album on its Varrick label. Consequently, in the summer of 1983 the group began recording its second record at Different Fur in San Francisco, with Howard Johnston engineering.

David Balakrishnan, who went on to form the Turtle Island String Quartet with Darol Anger, was the new violinist.

The cover design was done by the late great Michael Patrick Cronan.