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Author Topic: OT Fiddling on Broadway Label  (Read 1632 times)

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Offline poymando

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OT Fiddling on Broadway Label
« on: September 10, 2006, 03:19:17 PM »
Hi all,
Somewhat off topic but I wondered if anyone might know how to track down info on recording of fiddler John Barton on Broadway 623A/627. Nice solo fiddle. Turkey In The Straw/Girl I Left Behind. Thanks in advance!

Offline Cleoma

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Re: OT Fiddling on Broadway Label
« Reply #1 on: September 11, 2006, 12:02:18 AM »
I haven't heard of John Barton.  Is he someone who is playing now, or from an earlier era?
Suzy T.

Offline Cleoma

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Re: OT Fiddling on Broadway Label
« Reply #2 on: September 11, 2006, 12:16:25 AM »
Ah - I looked him up in Tony Russell's discography.  Real name was John Baltzell.  He recorded quite a few sides, some for Edison in 1923.  The Broadway sides you mention were recorded in 1927.    No idea where you could find them, I don't believe they have been reissued. I'd be curious to hear his music, especially the early stuff.  Good luck with your search!

I found on the web:  John Baltzell was one of the earliest old-time fiddlers to be captured by the newly developing recording technology of the early '20s. The first sessions he recorded for Edison in the fall of 1923 came only three months after the recording debut of Fiddlin' John Carson, perhaps the first historic American old-time fiddler to be documented for posterity. Baltzell's work was obviously valued highly by the Edison company, as the payment he received for one series of recordings would have still been considered decent session pay some 75 years later. His first recordings were cylinders, and then came the flat wedges known as "diamond discs." He recorded as well for labels such as Okeh and Plaza. The pieces recorded for the latter label were particularly successful, despite the fact that by 1927 this type of unaccompanied fiddle recording was starting to go out of style. Baltzell's records on the other hand were in such demand that labels released them under several names rather than compete with themselves. Thus his rendition of "Arkansas Traveler," for example, came out on one label under the name of John Barton and on another as Hiram Jones.

The son of a shoemaker, Baltzell was both born and raised in a log cabin. He began playing fiddle as a youngster, but not a real instrument. He built his own fiddles out of corn stalks, not only for himself but for many other interested friends. Despite the lust in his heart he felt for owning a real instrument, he never was able to afford such a thing. Then one day he went to a nearby farmer's home where he happened to notice some children dragging an old violin case around by a string. The case was full of sand. The detective in him made him wonder if the instrument itself was around somewhere, and it was indeed found, although it was hardly in top condition any longer. He arranged a barter for it and took it home for much needed repairs. Soon it was a real fiddle again and he was playing real tunes on it. Needless to say, it had much less of a corny sound than the instruments he had been building himself. One of his main musical influences was Daniel Emmett. the composer of the song "Dixie" and a resident of the same county. The fiddler learned a number of this man's tunes while collaborating with him, and also learned how to compose music on his own. Much of Baltzell's repertoire began to consist of his own material, although he never learned to read or write notated music, both composing and performing strictly by ear. Following the first recording sessions he was in demand for radio broadcasts around Ohio, even winning an over-the-air fiddle contest during which listeners phoned in their vote for Best Fiddler. The prize was a 200 dollar violin, complete with a case that no farm brats had dragged around.

Offline poymando

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Re: OT Fiddling on Broadway Label
« Reply #3 on: September 11, 2006, 08:28:50 AM »
Thanks so much for the reply Suzy. I hunted a bit on the web and wasn't able to track any info down. I need to get a copy of that Russel discography. I found the Broadway record in very nice shape a few years back while antiquing in central Wisconsin. Both tunes solo and nice performances.

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