Fiery Female Fiddlers
Here at Johnny D’s in Boston, I’m watching the very talented and very gorgeous fiddler Carrie Rodriguez finish her sound-check. The Greencards and Carrie are playing a show together tonight and it’s a thrill to play with her as she steps out from the shadow of her great work with Chip Taylor. It wasn’t too long ago that the idea of a female fiddler leading her own show was a novel idea and hard for some in the industry to accept. The world of country music has had its fair share of male fiddler role models. Where would be without Bob Wills, Roy Acuff or Charlie Daniels? I was going to mention Western swing legend Spade Cooley but that little misdemeanor of killing his wife rules him out of the ‘role model’ title. Where are the female fiddlers in the history books? I can’t think of too many.
These days things are different – female fiddlers of all different styles are making a name for themselves. Natalie MacMaster is a wild, wild fiddler who merged Cape Breton fiddling with bluegrass in the excellent record, Blueprint. Elana James from Austin was a leading force in the Hot Club of Cowtown and now leads her own fiery Western swing trio. April Verch records for Rounder and can be seen at festivals around the country dancing and playing her heart out.
When did this all change? I’m going to stick my neck out here and point to the emergence of Alison Krauss as a major force in bluegrass AND country music in the early 90s. Alison would appear onstage or on TV and amaze people with her vocals and then effortlessly hold her own as a fiddler with any bluegrass musician. If you don’t own a copy of her I’ve Got That Old Feeling album, your life is sadly incomplete. It will knock your socks off!
Hopefully soon we won’t have to talk in terms of male or female fiddlers, thanks to all those who have broken the mold. The fiddle world is uniting and gaining strength. Guitar pickers beware, we are about to rule the musical world!
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luvincountry143 says:
My daughter plays the fiddle and these are all her heroes. Great to know she has such inspiration from people like Alison and Natalie. They rock!!!
TxUrbanBunny says:
Greay blog Eamon! Looking forward to more!
And male ot female….the fiddle rocks!
Bill Aldacushion says:
Eamon – Enjoyed your blog entry here as it pulls together some pieces of a phenomenon that I have been aware of but have not viewed as an unfolding trend.
By the way, growing up in L.A., Spade Cooley was a childhood musical hero with my family glued to his local TV show every weekend. I think this early exposure tuned my ear to appreciate fiddle music as well as introducing me to county music in general.
Many thanks to Chip for bringing Carrie to the forefront as he did the first time I saw her at MerleFest 2006. I agree with you about the role Alison played in paving the way for the acceptance of so many talented female fiddle players in main-stream country music and related genres. I think she (we) also owe a debt of gratitude to a male supporter (Ricky Skaggs in this case) for putting Allison in the limelight and exposing her to a wider audience than she could have achieved on her own in the early days of her career.
I have had the chance to see two fiery shows by Natalie where it was easy for the audience to loose it’s collective breadth just watching the her energy of stage… just think what would have happened if we all had the space to dance along. I have been listening to smooth sounds of a recently acquired Elana James CD and am even sorrier to have missed her appearance in our area last month.
This trend continues with even more young female fiddle talent gaining renown. Three that come to my mind are Rayna Gellert of Uncle Earl, Tanya Elizabeth of The Duhks and Megan Mullins of the Nashville Star House Band who is embarking on a solo country music career of her own. I wish them all the best.
Colleen says:
Yes, that little megan mullens is destined for greatness if we could only get her on the radio. Saw her at the OPry! Keep up rosining up those bows, girls!
Paul W Dennis says:
let’s not forget one of the earlier female fiddling stars. Jana Jae, who appeared on HEE HAW during the early 1970s
buckster says:
When speaking of pioneering female fiddlers, don’t forget Sue Draheim. Her 70’s band, Any Old Time String Band, sure did rock the fiddle tunes!
Kevin says:
I can’t believe that you didn’t mention Martie Maguire of the Dixie Chicks, who gets roaring cheers usually reserved for electric guitar players whenever she solos. She’s easily the most prominent female fiddle player in music, with Alison Krauss her only real competition for the title.
Julianna says:
news flash: noone likes the dixie chicks anymore in country music, nor their fiddle player. Alison Krauss is more talented by leaps and bounds than Martie.
Gaaga says:
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greg vigars says:
who can tell me who the female fiddle player is in the sara evans band that played at the CMA 2004 - suds in a bucket.
Nobody seems to be able to tell me.
send me an e-mail with the answer ………..please.
vigars@tinyworld.co.uk
Cheers you guys
Greg V