Voyager Recordings & Publications

Play Me Something Quick and Devilish Old-Time Fiddlers in Missouri By Howard Wight Marshall University of Missouri Press ISBN 978-0-8262-1994-7

This book is a "must" for anyone interested in traditional fiddling. It is a comprehensive history of the fiddling, and the events which influenced it, from the time of the first Missouri fiddlers to the present. There are lots of photographs and transcription of the tunes on the accompanying CD included with the book. The CD has thirty-nine tracks of fiddlers mentioned in the text, recorded over a period of fifty years. This book in an in-depth study of Missouri fiddling, which was the genesis of the most prevalent and influential fiddle styles heard in the pioneer West and in our region, the Pacific Northwest, to this day. The book contains far more than just biographies of influential Missouri fiddlers. There are many discussions of tunes played by the fiddlers, where they came from, and their social use. There are also discussions of fiddle and fiddle tune history in North America in general, which has had an influence on Missouri fiddling. A much more detailed description of the book can be found in the University of Missouri Press catalog at http://press.umsystem.edu. The book may be ordered directly from the University of Missouri Press and going to the Press's catalog, or by telephone 800-621-2736. The book also may be found at some bookstores and online stores. The list price is only $29.95, with the CD enclosed in a sleeve inside the back cover.

The CD was issued by Voyager Recordings in cooperation with Dr. Marshall and the University of Missouri Press. The selections are all field recordings, which help preserve the ambience of the fiddling. Transcriptions of many of the tunes on the CD are contained in the book.

Following are some examples of music on the CD in mp3 format. Click on the tune title to play.