Courtesy Joanne Jackson
WLENews
Wednesday, Aug 11 at 4:00 PM
The WLHS is proud to present Roger Howell, Master Fiddler, Guitarist, and Banjo Player.
WHO IS ROGER HOWELL? - Roger’s uncanny fascination with early country, bluegrass and “old-time mountain” music began by teaching himself guitar at age 12, and learning clawhammer banjo from elderly neighbors only shortly thereafter in his community of Banjo Branch, in rural Madison County. His sense of perfect pitch and ability to play anything with strings on it soon made Roger popular at local house parties, and led to his eventual fascination with what would later become his main instrument, the fiddle. He became well-known as a proficient guitarist, but eventually returned to his first love - - mountain music. He began to study the unique fiddle playing and repertoire of local fiddle legends while also perfecting his own banjo styles. In the late 70’s, Roger began performing at local events and regional festivals, turning heads with his stellar banjo and guitar work.
WHAT ABOUT THE FIDDLE? - For years, Roger was known mostly as a top-notch old-time banjo player, but all that changed in early 1990, with the help of his new friend Ernest Smith, son of legendary Grand Old Opry star “Fiddlin’ Arthur Smith.” Smith especially admired and encouraged Roger’s fiddling by sharing his vast experience, knowledge and recorded library of material of his famous Dad, and of many other early Opry legends with whom he had worked over the years, while introducing Roger to some of his legendary musical friends. Roger soon found his way to the professional stage as fiddler, and began to develop his own unique, fluid bow style. Then, in 1994, he produced his first commercial fiddle recordings, all to rave reviews. Since then, Roger has headed two of the region’s top bands, the popular "Carolina Old-Timers" and the “Bailey Mountain Ramblers”, winning dozens of regional & state championships, and has become a very respected part of the Asheville area’s music community. He joins other traditional performers at the Bascom Lamar Lunsford Festival, as he has every year since the festival began. In 1999, he was awarded the prestigious Bascom Lamar Lunsford Award for his many contributions to the region’s traditional music. A favorite at many festivals and on local radio, he’s become a very sought-after session musician, appearing to date on over 35 recordings of various regional artists, as well as a few of his own, and his fiddle even appeared in the movie “Songcatcher” in 2000. In 2001 he was Winner of the “Heritage Tune Award” at Fiddler’s Grove, home of the oldest continuous Old Time Fiddler’s Contest in North America. This special competition keeps traditional tunes alive. The tune must be one the fiddler learned by ear from another fiddler, and the contestant must give the story of the tune’s origin on stage as part of the competition. A prolific writer and historian, Roger has published articles about the region’s musical heritage, is active in promoting area music festivals, and has collected hundreds of rare fiddle tunes. These days, he’s considered a Master fiddler, still performing regularly with many of the region’s best artists. If that wasn’t enough, when he’s not performing you’ll find him in his shop repairing and restoring old fiddles, which are known for their remarkable tone.
He is also on the planning committee for the Mars Hill College program, “New Harmonies, Celebrating America's Grass Roots Music,” and is referred to as ”The Best-Kept Secret in the Mountains."
Remember that the non-profit WLHS presents these programs for your education and enjoyment of our WNC history. We need your support to continue our efforts to preserve our heritage, provide honoraria to our speakers and to our video recorders of these programs. Please join our Historical Society by paying dues of only $15 single, $25 family. Note that we still have copies of “Upper Laurel and Her People” available for $15. Please notify Joanne Jackson if you are interested.
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Filed Under: 2010-2011 Calendars & Updates
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