Seminal Fiddlers and Tunes?

This morning I ran across a blog entry a blog entry over on the Fiddle Hangout site that got me to thinking about essential fiddle tunes and seminal recordings and whatnot. I think the list at this link is a good one for anyone who is interested in highly influential fiddlers and their playing. As you'd expect with any kind of list like this, I have some disagreements with the author. For instance, I’d have picked other tunes than “Rattlesnake” to represent Bob Holt. And maybe would have picked a couple of other fiddlers to represent the Ozark style. But anyone who thinks so highly of Pete McMahan’s playing is okay in my book. (If you don’t have the 2005 (?)collection of McMahan’s recordings, 50 Old Time Fiddle Gems on Voyager Records, you need to pick it up. It’s some of the prettiest fiddling you’ll ever hear.)

My one big gripe about the above list is that it omits some Mississippi fiddlers/bands that I think have been highly influential on current old-time fiddling. Guys like The Mississippi Possum Hunters, Floyd Ming’s Pepsteppers, and Willie Narmour of Narmour and Smith. G. B. Grayson -- though he was from North Carolina and Virginia, not from Mississppi --also comes to mind.

Another take on this (sort of, but well worth taking a look at) is Charlie Walden’s list of 100 Essential Missouri Fiddle Tunes. As the title suggests, it’s tune-oriented rather than player-oriented. And the list is pretty limited by geography and Walden’s preferences. But it’s a good starting point for discussion.

And now.... back to stinkin' work.