The Cello Madness Congress

An eclectic, whimsical, inventive performer and personality, Rushad Eggleston is a cello player with a difference. Calling himself the Ambassador of Sneth and Wild Cello Goblin, Eggleston improvises in fiddle styles on the cello. Now touring the world—from Italy to Belgium and beyond—as a solo performer on cello, vocals, and kazoo, he wears a jester costume and sings in his own imaginary language.

A native of Carmel, California, he attended Berklee on a full scholarship after winning a competition.

In 2002, he was nominated for a Grammy with Fiddler’s Four, a collaboration with Michael Doucet, Darol Anger, and Bruce Molsky. Eggleston also helped found Crooked Still, an alternative folk/bluegrass group that released two CDs in 2004 and 2006. He also released a more experimental album, Playhouse of the Universe, in 2006 with the Wild Band of Snee, as well as Rushad Eggleston and the Butt Wizards. His latest albums are The Rushad Eggleston Show in 2013 and Very Advanced Sound Machine in 2015.

Eggleston has led and toured with his band Tornado Rider, based in Oakland, California, which has played the Boom Boom Room in San Francisco, Burning Man Festival, and the Magnolia Festival. He plays electric cello and does lead vocals.

His talent also extends to teaching in fiddle and string camps on both coasts. In 2015, he did a duet tour with classical guitarist Beppe Gambetta.

In a video on his website, Eggleston explains that his given name means “One who is joyous,” and that is the message he tries to spread to the world.