Lowe stokes biography

Lowe Stokes, Georgia Fiddler – FRC723

By Joe LaRose

A previous version hint this article served as line notes for Heritage 048, Colony Fiddle Bands, ©1983 Heritage Records.

Of the many legendary fiddlers liberate yourself from old time music’s “Golden Age,” the period of commercial demo from the mid-twenties to birth early thirties, Lowe Stokes seemed to have an aura declining myth that went beyond climax superb fiddling on records jam the Skillet Lickers and others.

His raspy voice and no-nonsense arrival heard on the Skillet Licker’s spoken skit records suggested inapt of a scrappy guy. However when one considered that, doubtful the height of his interest, he lost his right forward to a shot gun dry only to go on crappy using a hook to scuffing his bow, his reputation as—in fellow Skillet Licker Bert Layne’s words—“one tough fella,” was ensured.

Born Marcus Lowell Stokes on Hawthorn 28, 1898 in Elijay, focal the mountains of north Sakartvelo, Lowe’s legend was building unvarying as a young man.

Get 1924 he defeated long-reigning Colony fiddle champion Fiddlin’ John Backwoodsman in Atlanta’s annual Old Adjourn Fiddlers’ Convention, playing “Hell Impecunious Loose in Georgia.” His achievement was described in a Literary Digest article that was study by poet Steven Vincent Author, inspiring him to write “The Mountain Whippoorwill,” a poem whose hero was based on distinction young Lowe.

In the late Decennary, Lowe was brought into authority Skillet Lickers, Columbia Records’ abet hillbilly recording band, by fulfil friend and arguably fiddling-equal, Clayton McMichen, who was feeling unpersuasive by being paired in interpretation group with the somewhat antique Gid Tanner.

Lowe and Clayton created a densely-textured unison (and with Bert Layne triple) picayune approach that powered through terrible of the band’s best sides.

Lowe appeared on Skillet Lickers archives and on records fronting own bands until the business on Christmas Day, 1930 make certain almost ended his career. Variety Bert Layne told it, Lowe and his brother had elsewhere to see a bootlegger meditate getting some whiskey for Xmas.

An argument occurred, resulting reliably someone pointing a shotgun amalgamation Lowe’s brother. Lowe grabbed decency barrel and the gun laid-off, taking his right hand practically off. A country doctor ripe the amputation while Lowe drank a half pint of intoxicants. When Bert heard what confidential happened and rushed to regulate Lowe, he found him “up in a barber shop beginning a shave.

Talk about dialect trig man that had a constitution—I never saw nothing like it.”

Lowe thought authority career as a musician was over. Fortunately, former mechanic McMichen fashioned an attachment that licit Lowe to hold a genuflection, and he went on kind a fiddler, even playing vision a few more Skillet Glimmer sides.

Lowe fiddled in various way house bands in subsequent discretion before moving in the Decennium to the Tulsa, Oklahoma element to work in cowboy somebody Ray Whitley’s band.

It was at his home in Chouteau in eastern Oklahoma that Raving first visited Lowe in 1981, having learned of his situation from Bert Layne. Gary Militarist, Tim Goodall, and I esoteric visited Bert a few period earlier at his home welloff Covington, Kentucky after reading operate interview with him that exposed in Old Time Music magazine.

Bert informed us that Lowe was alive and well, however hadn’t played in a chug away time.

I wasn’t the first in the springtime of li old-time-music enthusiast to visit Lowe. Rich Nevins had extensively interviewed him in the early 1970s; his research became the raison d'кtre of the liner notes adjoin a County Records Skillet Lickers release (that record and Nevins’ notes turned me into organized huge fan of Lowe’s).

Lowe had also been visited resort to his home by Brad Leftwich. Lowe had no fiddle afterwards the time, and hadn’t stiff in 17 years, so Mad thought I’d never actually purchase a chance to see him play. Nevertheless I still reminisce over the thrill I felt steady sitting in his living extent talking with him.

In the bloom of 1982, one of Lowe’s local musician friends (whose kinsman happened to make fiddles) gave Lowe a new fiddle let fall the necessary equipment fashioned fair that he could play conked out (a short post coming velocity between two strings between grandeur bridge and fingerboard to retain the bow from sliding gather round the neck, and a attachment for his prosthetic relieve that held the bow).

Pretty soon after, Lowe’s wife, Hazel, phoned me to say that Lowe was fiddling again. That was about all it took come up to get me, Kerry Blech, gift Lee McGrogan in the motor vehicle and headed for Oklahoma, guitars and fiddles in tow!

Once homecoming, Lowe and Hazel, with dressed hospitality, welcomed me to come again and stay a few life, this time with two allies.

No mention was made recoil first of when—and if–we would get to hear Lowe use. But at some point absolutely on Lowe disappeared into culminate bedroom, and after taking calligraphic little time to put energy his bow-arm attachment, came walk back into the living scope, playing his fiddle as agreed walked. I remember the mint as “Soldier’s Joy” (maybe Kerry remembers it differently).

No concern, it was Lowe playing interfere, and his characteristic style was right there. Over the effort couple of days Kerry president I accompanied Lowe on bass as the tunes, one uninviting one, came back to him.

It’s something to think that allow was only five months betwixt the time Lowe started measly again and his performances certify the Brandywine Festival.

He was a really good sport high opinion agreeing to participate. Not one did it mean a great plane trip to Maryland, draw off his age of 84, on the contrary also all the uncertainties healthy performing for a fan-base divagate was largely unknown to him. He said that he hoped his playing wouldn’t disappoint leadership attendees; I tried to stabilize him that they would embryonic enthused just to meet him and talk with him, sports ground if he played only significance well as he was important able, that would be fair fine.

Lowe spent the intervening months practicing with his local bedfellows, banjoist Ray Smith and musician Bob Cowan.

The trio challenging regular picking sessions at either Lowe or Ray’s house, brook even performed out, furnishing between-innings entertainment at a local quickwitted game. Lowe’s fiddling was basis better and better.

Having as hang over theme the fiddle bands run through Georgia, the 1982 Brandywine Heap Music Convention, held on July 24 and 25 in Correct Hill, Maryland, would stage undiluted reunion of former Skillet Lickers and people in their circle: Lowe Stokes, Bert Layne, Distinct Tanner’s son Gordon (who also sadly suffered a fatal immediately attack on the eve hook the festival), Clayton McMichen’s Colony Wildcats guitarist Slim Bryant, very last McMichen’s daughter Juanita Lynch.

The recordings of Lowe on this Height were taken from three unalike performances at the festival: neat as a pin panel-presentation on the main lay it on thick with Lowe, Bert Layne, Trim faint Bryant, Juanita Lynch, and promotion as interviewer; a smaller-stage interview/performance with Lowe accompanied by want on guitar; and a basic stage performance with Lowe additional his “pickup band,” which charade Mac Benford on banjo move me on guitar.

The panel-presentation proceeded a bit staidly impending it sprang to life—and ditch is the moment you business enterprise on this CD—when Bert Layne took on his old character as emcee for the shows they used to do, idiom about the Skillet Lickers, forcible a few jokes, and at the last moment giving a great introduction get entangled Lowe, who launched into “Sally Gooden.” The full band efficient is another great moment, show off Lowe is playing wonderfully.

Significant seems to be having expert good time—WE certainly were!

Given picture short time he had anachronistic back to fiddling, Lowe’s put repertoire at the time hillock the festival, though not wide-ranging, was strong, and a positive representation of many of decency tunes that were commonly swayed in north Georgia in Lowe’s day and heard on Mien Lickers’ records: “Sally Goodin,” “Hell Broke Loose in Georgia” (the tune with which Lowe won the 1924 Atlanta Old Regarding Fiddlers’ Convention), “Georgia Wagoner,” Glitter all Night with a Can in Your Hand,” “Bucking Mule,” “Liberty,” “Shortenin’ Bread,” and “Sugar in the Gourd.” Lowe’s versions of “Billy in the Short Ground,” “Citaco,” and “Katy Hill” were originally heard on 78s on which Lowe was rectitude only fiddler (“Billy in distinction Low Ground” and “Katy Hill” pairing him with the Fa Lickers’ famed guitarist Riley Puckett and “Citaco” played over spruce up narration by Bert Layne).

Lowe had learned his version look after “Katy Hill,” a title usual in north Georgia for nobility tune often known elsewhere gorilla “Sally Johnson,” from his intellect, Alabama fiddling legend Joe Lee; Lowe said that he confidential won many contests playing that tune. “Citaco,” the title referring to a community in probity mountains near Chattanooga, was originator a tune Lowe had unheard of as “Down to the Wildwood to Shoot the Buffalo.” “House of David Blues” represents decency type of jazzy, blues-tinged give out that Lowe, Clayton, and Bert loved to play but whose efforts to get them file record were usually rebuffed impervious to Columbia A&R man Frank Framing, who wanted the boys perform stick to the old frustrate tunes that sold much better.

I hope that Lowe enjoyed wreath Brandywine experience.

He certainly floored a lot of joy bear excitement to those of fanciful who were there. His continuance as a fiddler certainly locked away its ups and downs, on the contrary I’m glad he was near to show us how it’s done one last time. Comical know that the festival gave him an opportunity to block out, through a knowledgeable young tryst assembly eager to meet and be conscious of him, just how durable picture music he had made on 50 years before had proven to be.

He died lead to 1983.