Champion Fiddler, Inspired Performer
My Darling Nellie Gray is another tune that I first heard at the Gambler’s Draw contest at the American Heritage Music Festival in Grove, OK. As I recall, somebody else got out on the tune, and after the contest, I had Junior Marriott teach me the tune. He said that the first part is basically [...]
A few days ago, I debuted my new Think Geek Electric Guitar T-Shirt, and I opened up a contest for the first person to name the tune I played on the Electric Shirt. Glenn Gunderson won the contest, and the prize was to get to pick my next fiddle tune a day. And Glenn picked [...]
Bill Cheatum was one of those tunes that grew on me. I didn’t love it at first, but I thought it was OK. I remember hearing Tom Weisgerber play it at the Fiddler’s on the Gorge contest that used to be held at the Royal Gorge, in Canon City, CO, and was founded (at least [...]
I don’t remember where I first heard Allentown Polka, but I do remember that it was being played by someone who was competing against me in a fiddle contest. And, that’s why I learned the tune. I can’t say that I ever played it in a fiddle contest, or that I have played it with [...]
I first heard Little Bit of Swing on the Herman Johnson tape, Simply Perfect. (Herman wrote this cool tune.) It was such a fun melody, and Herman’s playing was so good that I really wanted to learn that tune. It’s pretty tricky with lots of double stops, and a section of it in 10/4 time. [...]
In honor of the prettiest waltz thread, I recorded Ook Pik Waltz today. My first memory of Ook Pik was of Trisha Peterson (formerly Isenberger) beating me in a fiddle contest playing this pretty waltz. I didn’t like it so much then. I must say today that it is a pretty waltz, while I still [...]
Flatbush Waltz is a soulful waltz by Andy Statman, and refers to the Flatbush neighborhood of Brooklyn, NY. I learned it from Tony Ludiker, but I remember Eric LeVine telling me a story about playing it in a fiddle contest and calling it something like Black Piney Waltz because it made it sound more old-timey. [...]
Wow, 59 days of a fiddle tune every day. That really sounds like a lot. And, I’m almost 20% of the way done. The first time I heard Spider Bit the Baby, I was 11 years old at the Winfield, KS fiddle contest (at the Walnut Valley Bluegrass Festival). If I remember correctly, Billy Ward [...]
This is another waltz that I learned from J.C. Hounshell after judging with him at the American Heritage Music Festival (Jana Jae’s fiddle contest) in Grove, OK. (Great contest by the way. I highly recommend it.) JC and his wife Joyce, Gayle and LaRue Hopson and I sat around and played until they were ready [...]
Leather Britches is another tune that I learned when I stayed with Dick and Lisa Barrett as a teen. I remember Dick telling me to leave it exactly how I learned it for now, and that if I play it like that for a year or so that I could change it then. (I had [...]
