Martino Coppo

Born in 1958, Martino Coppo was drawn to American folk music at a very early age. He started on guitar (self-taught) at age 13 and towards the end of the 70’s he was playing both mandolin and guitar in his band Green Cellar Society. It was at this time that he really became awestruck by the likes of Sam Bush and NGR, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, David Grisman and Tony Rice.

Martino joined Red Wine in 1981, and took up a sort of backwards musical journey towards the sources of traditional bluegrass, which took him to playing intensively in all of Italy, Europe, and, starting in the mid-'90s, the USA too.

In the mid-'80s and early '90s he also played with the country rock band Arizona, and the bluegrass Band Freewheelin' (with which he played his first USA tour in 1986).

Martino has done quite a bit of touring and recordings with artists like Beppe Gambetta (with whom he still gigs regularly), Carlo Aonzo, Kathy Chiavola, Gene Parsons, Tony Trischka, Barbara Lamb, Peter Rowan, Barry & Holly Tashian, Patty Larkin, Paolo Bonfanti, Vittorio De Scalzi and New Trolls, Roberto Dalla Vecchia, Hocus Pocus and La Rosa Tatuata.

He’s done several mandolin workshops and courses in Europe and USA, with artists such as Chris Thile, Alan Bibey, Christian Seguret, Paul Van Vlodrop, Helmut Mitteregger, and was Beppe Gambetta's assistant at two editions of his Summer Guitar Camp in Slovenia.