“Fire on the mountain, run boy run, cause the devil went down to Georgia!”
“You ain’t gonna bring that ‘devil’s box’ in this here church!”
“Now you people stop moving your feet to that fiddle music. It just ain’t right!”
Fiddle and a bow, and the firelight glow, you can hear that lonesome sound. I’ll leave behind my troublin’ mind, and go the whole world ’round.”
“And the winner of the Grand National Fiddle Contest is….”
Just think, if the fiddle hadn’t been invented you’d never read or hear statements like that. In any case, the government of Canada has declared Saturday, May 21, 2016, “World Fiddle Day.” So what the heck does that mean?
According to one source, “World Fiddle Day is the one day in the year when all of those who play the fiddle can celebrate its wondrous beauty. It is celebrated annually on the Saturday closest to May 19th. It always falls on a Saturday, in order to allow the maximum amount of people to have the time to enjoy the day and its activities to the fullest. It occurs in the month of May to maximize the opportunities in both the northern (Spring) hemisphere and southern (Autumn) hemisphere to hold outdoor events involving groups of people. The significance of the 19th day of the month is that it was the day of the month of Antonio Stradivari’s passing.” Don’t know about you, but I always had a hunch that Antonio was a closet fiddler.
There are all kinds of fiddling, which include the following styles: Blues; Cajun and Zydeco; Appalachian; Athabaskan (from Alaska); Midwestern; Ozarks; Texas; New England; Northwest; Tohono O’odham (Native American); Bluegrass (Yea!); Country; Western Swing; Canadian; Cape Breton; French Canadian; Newfoundland & Labrador; Maritimes; English Canadian; African; Indian; and permutations of all the above. You get the idea, one basic instrument that gets its voice(s) from all over the planet.
The first person I ever heard play the fiddle live was a gentleman named Leonard Smith. Leonard lived in the Missouri Ozarks, home to many fiddlers. The unique thing about Leonard is that he only had one arm. He lost his arm in a hunting accident, but continued to play the fiddle anyhow. “Determination,” tenacity,” and “grit” can’t begin to describe Leonard’s fiddle journey, a journey that spit in the eye of one of destiny’s practical jokes. Leonard has since passed. I’m not saying that Leonard was a man firmly set in his ways, but I do think that St. Peter had a tough time convincing Leonard to trade in his fiddle for a harp.
Other fiddlers I’ve had the opportunity to hear live are Ray Park (Vern Williams Band), Richard Greene (currently “A Prairie Home Companion’s” fiddler), Byron Berline (formerly Hollywood’s studio musician for many bands) , Kenny Baker (Bill Monroe), Darrel Anger (David Grisman), Michael Cleveland (his band), Hunter Berry (Rhonda Vincent), Annie Staninec (Kathy Kallick Band, Rod Stewart Band), Nicky Sanders (Steep Canyon Rangers), Jason Carter (Del McCoury Band), Ed Neff (Blue and Lonesome), Paul Shelasky (no joke), and lots of others who have graced the stages at the CBA’s Fathers’ Day Festivals over the past forty years. Oh, almost forgot, Rick “Lefty” Cornish, who you can spot at many a jam session here-there-and-everywhere in between.
Okay, World Fiddle Day, but what would that be without some fiddle jokes? Here are some (not meant to offend – some of my best friends are fiddlers).
Q – Why did the fiddler cross the road?
A – It was the chicken’s day off.
Q – How do you tell the difference between a fiddle player and a dog?
A – The dog knows when to stop scratching.
“Haven’t I seen your face before?” the judge demanded. “Yes your Honor,” the man answered hopefully. “I gave your son fiddle lessons.
“Ah yes,” recalled the judge. “Twenty years!”
Okay, that’s it for this Welcome Column. As I write this I’m spending a week (one week before World Fiddle Day) at the Vile Inn, which is located just out of Wedlock, Georgia. And today is a special Saturday here in Georgia. Special because today there will be a “Fiddle Hoedown,” with over 100 fiddlers showing up for what is arguably, “The World’s Greatest Fiddle Contest.” The grand prize is a shiny, golden fiddle, donated by an older guy, by the name of Johnny, who says, “I just don’t take the time to play it anymore, but I used to be good, really good, until arthritis took my hands.” Most of the fiddle contestants who have signed-up are well known, since they are winners of previous major fiddle contests held all over the world. One entry, however, has the Contest Entry Committee puzzled, a Luci Furr, who is unknown to all the committee members. And for some unknown reason made the committee nervous upon receiving this contestant’s entry application. In the “Comments” section of the application, Luci has offered to bring deviled eggs, free to all who attend this event. Believe it or not, Mr. Ripley, believe it or not.
