Champion Fiddler, Inspired Performer
Uncle Dan is an old Missouri tune that I learned from Junior Marriott. Junior’s the only person I have ever heard play this tune before, but I’m certain that it has some history to be uncovered. Anyway, it’s a fun tune, and it’s got a really nice danceable feel to it. It’s a C tune [...]
Most of you know by now that I love Bb Hornpipes, and the twistier they are the better. Not only is Randall’s Hornpipe in Bb, but the B part of the tune totally puts you on your head because the arpeggio patterns start out in one direction, and then they flip backwards. It really plays [...]
I have to say that this has been a wonderful Christmas. Really, one of the best ever. It was full of family, and love, and giving and receiving of gifts, and of course, delicious food. But, that’s not what Christmas is all about. It’s about fiddling. And tonight, I’m playing Christina’s favorite Christmas Carol, Have [...]
It’s Christmas Eve, and I can’t think of a better time to Deck the Halls with boughs of holly, or spruce, or pine, or even fir. So far, this has been a wonderful Christmas Season. I have had good times with friends and family, and the Christmas Spirit has come upon me fully. I did [...]
Christmas wouldn’t be Christmas without the music of the season. Christmas Carols are very special to me. They evoke heartfelt memories, and emotions. And they are a great way to bring people together. I don’t have any particular tie to Good King Winceslas, except for that it was the first tune that inhabited my head [...]
I used to get so sick of hearing classical violinists play Devil’s Dream. Let me clarify. I have no problem with classical violinists as a whole. I play classical violin myself, and enjoy classical music. Nor do I have a problem with Devil’s Dream. It’s a cool tune, that happened to get caught in the [...]
Choctaw has long been one of my favorite breakdowns to listen to. It’s about time I worked it out, and I didn’t want to miss out on having Choctaw be a part of Fiddle Tune a Day. I love the way that Orville Burns played it. It has all kinds of soul, and growl to [...]
Brown Kelly Waltz (also known as Kelly Waltz) is a pretty old double stop waltz. I first learned it from the Dick Barrett Waltz album that I played the heck out of when I was a kid. I had the whole series of Dick Barrett tapes. I still think that Dick’s versions of those tunes [...]
I don’t remember who I first heard play Shuckin’ the Bush, but I remember thinking it was a super cool tune, and starting to work it out immediately. My coolest memory around this tune was at the Royal Gorge Fiddle Contest, when Herman Johnson judged it and some amazing fiddlers showed up (including Matthew Hartz, [...]
The First Time I heard Kill ‘um, also known as the Joe Bob Rag, was at Weiser. Gary Lee Moore was on the Stage, and he referenced Louis Franklin when he played it. It was such a cool tune. I have heard 2 recordings of it. Weldon Turpin plays it on an album where he [...]
