Fiddlin 'Powers
James Cowan "Fiddlin '" Powers (* 1877 ; † 1953 ) was an American old-time musician . Along with his family band, Powers was one of the first old-time musicians to be recorded on vinyl.
Life
Childhood and youth
Powers learned to play the fiddle as a child and grew up in rural Virginia . He never received any school education; according to his daughter Ada, he was only at school one day learning to write his name. As a young man he began to work as a farmer and carpenter and from time to time also competed in talent competitions as a fiddler.
Career
Powers did not devote himself to music professionally until 1918, when his wife died of tuberculosis . Instead of working and leaving the children at home alone, he decided to start a band with them and from then on performed with his children as Fiddlin 'Powers and Family . Daughter Orpha played mandolin , son Charlie Banjo , daughter Ada ukulele and daughter Carrie learned of Byrd Moore , guitar playing. Powers and his children traveled through the small towns of West Virginia and Kentucky , first by train and then by a Ford Model-T . Life as a musician was far more profitable for Powers than an everyday job, because the family could earn up to $ 200 per performance.
After Powers won a fiddle contest in Johnson City , Tennessee , a local businessman noticed the family and got them a recording session with Victor Records . In August 1924, Powers and his children traveled to New York City , where they made an initial test recording on August 11, and then held their first session on August 18 and 19, during which they recorded 17 pieces. Of the eight recordings released, Old Joe Clark / Ida Red were the first. It was the first recordings of a whole string band . In addition to their recordings, they toured with artists such as Dock Boggs and Clarence Ashley and could be heard on WOPI in Bristol , Tennessee.
The good sales of their Victor records brought Powers and his children to other record companies. They played a session for Edison Records in October 1925 and their last one for OKeh Records in September 1927 in Winston-Salem , North Carolina . The OKeh session produced the two-part Old Virginia Reel . The family was accompanied on these recordings by harmonica player John L. "Steamboat" Porter. On the previous Edison and Victor records, the labels Carson Robison as a studio musician at their side.
The Powers Family career ended in 1930 when all of the children were married and retired from the music business. Powers himself continued to perform and played with the Stanley Brothers in the early 1950s . Powers had heard the duo on the radio and joined them once a month for performances. In 1953 Powers died of a heart attack while playing Cluck Old Hen on stage with the Stanley Brothers .
Discography
Except for Rocky Road to Dinah's House and Wild and Reckless Hobo , all Edison recordings were released on records (78rpm) and on wax cylinders .
| year | title | # | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Victor Records | |||
| 1924 | Old Joe Clark / Ida Red | 19434 | |
| 1924 | The Little Old Cabin in the Lane / Sour Wood Mountains | 19448 | |
| 1924 | Sugar in the Gourd / Cripple Creek | 19449 | |
| 1924 | Patty on the Turnpike / Callahan's Reel | 19450 | |
| Edison Records | |||
| Old Joe Clark / Ida Red | 51662 | ||
| Sour Wood Mountains / Cripple Creek | 51789 | ||
| Cluck Old Hen / Sugar in the Gourd | 52083 | ||
| Wild and Reckless Hobo | 5131 | Wax cylinder publication | |
| Rocky Road to Dinah's House | 5421 | Wax cylinder publication | |
| OKeh Records | |||
| 1927 | Old Virginia Reel - Part 1 / Old Virginia Reel - Part 2 | 45154 | |
| Did You Ever See the Devil, Uncle Joe? / Old Molly Hare | 45268 | ||
| Unpublished titles | |||
| 1924 |
|
Victor | demo |
| 1924 |
|
Victor | |
| 1925 |
|
Edison | |
| 1927 |
|
OKeh | |
literature
- Tony Russell: Country Music Originals: The Legends and the Lost. Oxford University Press, 2007, ISBN 0195325095 , pp. 16-18
- Kip Lornell: Virginia's Blues, Country & Gospel Records, 1902-1943. University Press of Kentucky, 1989, ISBN 0813116589 , pp. 148-151
- Tony Russell: Country Music Records: A Discography, 1921-1942. Oxford University Press, 2004, ISBN 0195139895 , p. 703
Web links
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Powers, Fiddlin ' |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Powers, James Cowan (real name) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American old-time musician |
| DATE OF BIRTH | 1877 |
| DATE OF DEATH | 1953 |