Recordings
Washington Traditional Fiddlers Project -- Vol.II

The Fiddlers

First Generation

These senior fiddlers, though of differing backgrounds, all grew up surrounded by the traditional music of their communities. As such, these fiddlers are a link, through their heritage and skill, to time-honored folk and regional traditions.

Victor Alfredson, Seattle: b. 1923, Sweden. As a young boy in his native farming community of Boslan, Victor began playing fiddle and accordion for the local dances. Since moving to Seattle in 1955 he has been active playing for Scandinavian community gatherings.

Art Brandvold, Everett: b. 1917, Minnesota. Art played old time music on the mandolin as a young man and switched to fiddle in 1984. Drawing on his early musical experiences and listening carefully to fiddlers like Bob Simmons (late of Granite Falls), he has developed a strong dance style of fiddling.

Bruce Foster, Connell: b. 1926, North Dakota. Bruce remembers the joy of listening to his father and mother playing fiddle and mandolin on winter evenings. He played fiddle and accordion professionally for square dances and Scandinavian dances until the 1950s when he moved west. His repertoire includes many Canadian, Scandinavian and western hoedowns, waltzes, jigs, and polkas.

Carol Gaskins, Puyallup: b. 1918, Nebraska. Carol, with his mother on piano and brother on guitar, played for barn dances almost every Saturday night during his high school years. Along with waltzes, two-steps, and schottisches they played many jigs for square dances. He learned his tunes from his grandfather and local fiddlers as well as the early morning farm radio live broadcasts.

Stan Jackson, Yakima: b 1927, Arkansas. Stan's early years were filled with the fiddling of his father and older brother and the singing and clawhammer banjo playing of his mother. Arriving in Washington in 1947 he played professionally for square dances in the Yakima Valley. He distinguishes several bowing styles popular in the Ozarks for square dance fiddling and is able to change rhythmic styles within a tune.

Trinidad Marquez, Mabton: b. Michoacan, Mexico. Mr. Marquez studied at the Morelia music academy where his father was the director. In 1928 he moved to the Texas border town of Weslaco where he led the "Orquesta de Antonio" until settling in the Yakima valley in 195l where he led the "Yakima Chief Orquesta." Also a highly regarded composer, he remains active as one of the last of his era playing the old, European influenced, waltzes, danzones, polkas, and tangos.

Irene Walters, Yakima: b. 1927, Texas. Irene drew on the early influences of her fiddling uncles and of Washington fiddlers such as Luther Purdom and Jim Evans as she began playing in 1980. Irene has won the state seniors division title several times as well as many "Twin Fiddle" titles along with Bob Walters, her husband.


Second Generation Northwestern

In the 1950s -- 1970s, this generation of fiddlers also absorbed fiddle music as a "language" in the home and from the community of fiddlers brought together by contests, jam sessions, and camp-outs sponsored by the old time fiddlers associations. Their styles have been shaped by the traditional fiddlers in the Northwest. In each of the younger generation of such fiddlers can be heard echoes of older Northwestern fiddlers.

Jeffrey Anderson, Waterville: b. 1953, Waterville, WA. Jeffrey's grandfather, Carl Melcher from Nebraska, played an older, highly ornamented style of Norwegian fiddling. Jeffrey applies this same Norwegian aesthetic to American hornpipes and reels as well as the old Norwegian tunes.

Sheila (Wright) Everts, Spokane: b. 1958, Spokane, WA. Sheila began fiddling in the early 1960s when her father, Ray Wright, a fine old style dance fiddler from Montana, became involved with the Washington Old Time Fiddlers Association. She has absorbed much of the old time Northwestern and Canadian style and plays many beautiful Waltzes, jigs, and reels with a gentle Northwestern accent.

Arvid Lundin, Spokane: b. 1956, Spokane. Arvid learned at a young age from his father, Clair Lundin, a well known fiddler raised in northern Idaho. Together they play beautiful twin fiddles on Swedish tunes learned from Clair's uncle and mother.

John Nordmark, Seattle: b. 1949, Seattle. In 1917 John's father, Carl Sigard Nordmark, began playing for dances in the farm country around Boden, Sweden. He later played in the logging and mining camps around Washington and British Columbia and, with John, for dances at the Vasa club (a Swedish fraternal club) in Seattle. John has carefully maintained his fathers style and repertoire.

John Whitman, Kent: b. 1962, Lapwai, Idaho. John's grandfather, Dick Herndon, was a founder of the Idaho Old Time Fiddlers Associations northern branch. At eight John dug a fiddle out of the closet and asked to learn to play. He soon joined his grandfather playing at community festivals and fiddle contests. Today he plays for square dances with "Home Brew."


Swing, Texas & Progressive influenced

These fiddlers have strong traditional roots and have also been significantly influenced by swing or the Texas and progressive styles played at contests. Drawing on the older Texas dance styles and inspired by swing music, Benny Thomasson began to rework tunes for contests in the 1930s. This slower, bluesy approach rife with melodic variation became known as the "Texas" style and now predominates at contests throughout the west. After Benny moved to Washington in the 1970s, many young Northwesterners were inspired by him and his most famous protege, national champion and Grammy award winner Mark O'Connor. The National Fiddle Contest in Wieser Idaho, begun in 1963, is the largest of many contests which have contributed to the development of this style in the region.

Marty Dahlgren, Seattle: b. 1927, Seattle. Marty has played old time fiddle for square dances and "hot fiddle" in Western Swing and Country bands in the Seattle area since the 1940s. He toured the west with "Jack Roberts and the Evergreen Drifters" from 19581966 and performed in Seattle with "Lance Romance" through the 1980s.

JayDean (Warner) Ludiker, Spokane: b. 1963, Spokane. JayDean started in the school violin program and then began learning fiddle tunes from her father. Within a few years she was competing at the top level in her age division and ultimately won the Ladies division at the National Fiddle Contest in Wieser, Id. Today she is a highly respected fiddle teacher.

Terry Ludiker, Spokane: b. 1963, Spokane. Terry and his older brother, Tony began taking lessons from Sheila Wright in 1973. Through the Wrights they met many of the areas traditional older players and also began attending fiddle contests. Terry won the Men's division in Wieser in 1986. Though associated with the progressive and Texas styles, "...deep down I consider myself an old time fiddler."

Tony Ludiker, Spokane: b. 1962, Spokane. Already accomplished at Northwestern and Canadian fiddling, things changed completely for Tony when he heard Mark O'Conner. Initially emulating Mark's style, Tony soon began a careful study of the older players from Texas and also reworking old fiddle tunes from traditional sources and Cole's "Thousand Fiddle Tunes" into his own, Northwestern, version of the progressive, contest approach. Tony has won the Grand Masters National Championship in Wieser, Idaho five times.

Gary Lee Moore, Seattle: b. 1950, Oklahoma. Gary's great grandfather was a well known fiddler throughout Oklahoma and Arkansas. As a young boy, Gary absorbed much of his style and also learned much of the traditional dance fiddling still being played in that area. Later he spent time with Clark Kessinger (West Virginia) and Benny Thomasson and now has a highly developed personal style partly based on the old time styles but incorporating a variety of influences.

Clara Murphy, Battleground: b. 1933 Long Beach, CA. Clara first learned from her father who was an old time dance fiddler (hoedowns, rags, and western swing). As a teenager she also played with a gypsy band and later with bluegrass and string bands. She has won the 1992, 1994, and 1996 Washington State senior's division titles and placed as high as third in the national old time fiddle contest at Wieser, ID.

Ramon Selby, Bremerton: b. 1942 Casper, Wyoming. At the age of eight, Ramon took up the fiddle and joined the family band playing Western Swing and square dance tunes. Besides his father and local fiddlers, Ramon was influenced by Hugh Farr (of the Sons of the Pioneers) who settled in Casper in his later years.


The Folk Revival Generation

Musicians that are part of this generation took up the fiddle as young adults in the 1950s -- 1970s. They became deeply involved in particular styles of fiddling and have become some of the leaders in their particular genre.

Armin Barnett, Seattle: b. 1948, Chicago. Armin first got hooked on Bluegrass banjo when he heard Ralph Stanley on WLS in 1958. Ten years later he encountered the southern fiddle styles of Franklin George, Tommy Jarrel, and John Summers. He immersed himself in that style along with the music played by the large Irish population of Chicago. Molly Tenenbaum joins Armin on clawhammer banjo on this selection. Together with the "Queen City Bulldogs" they won the band competition at Clifftop, W. VA in 1993.

Hank Bradley, Seattle: b. 1940, California. Hank played violin and guitar as a boy. Sent by the army to North Carolina in 1963 he played with and learned from many great Southern fiddlers such as Otis Burris, Buddy Pendleton, and Ralph Blizzard. With an exceptional ear and a love of the music, he quickly absorbed the tunes and the style. Hank had a major hand in bringing Southern music to a generation of fiddle enthusiasts on the west coast.

Karen England, Seattle: b, 1954, Seattle. After violin lessons through high school Karen began learning old time fiddling from Washington fiddler Neil Johnston and Texas style from Benny Thomasson. Karen has also studied with Dewey Balfa and is known nationally for her Cajun fiddling. She currently plays with "Hows Bayou" and the "Okanogan Valley String Band." Karen's aunt's band, the "Oroville Wranglers" were popular in the Okanogan Valley in the 1930s and 40s.

Elizabeth Foster, Tuppeskogen, Norway & Bainbridge Island, WA: b. 1955, WA. Raised on Bainbridge Island, she was inspired by Bud Johnson's Scandinavian fiddling as a teenager. Elizabeth and her sisters have been at the center of a revival of Scandinavian fiddling in the Northwest and have studied in Sweden and Norway. On this recording she plays the "nickelharpa," a keyed fiddle. (That's Sue Thompson on guitar.)

Vivian Williams, Seattle: b, 1938, Tacoma. Raised on classical music, Vivian became involved in folk music at Reed College (Portland) and in Seattle. Since then she has been particularly influenced by the Bluegrass, Southern, and Canadian styles played by Northwestern fiddlers. She has won the Washington state and national "Ladies Division" championships. Vivian is a founder of the Washington Old Time Fiddlers Association, Seattle Folklore Society, Northwest Folklife, and Voyager Records.

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This page last updated on 19 September 2001
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