Count up the troubles of the white man and then those of the black, and the second list will always be longer by one entry - Tony Russell, Blacks Whites and Blues, p.102
Hi all, I was alerted to the below footage today which seems to show Fiddlin John Carson (and many unknown others) fiddling for a film crew outside of a Fiddlers Convention in 1919. John Carson (presumably), in a long coat, makes his main appearance at around the one minute and six second mark.
It certainly looks a lot like him. There's a closer shot of him playing behind the folks in the next shot, which I added here. It'd be great to know where that footage was shot. Amazing footage whoever is in it! Chris
Chris, I was alerted to the footage on Instagram by the user 'historyofcountrymusic' who speculates that the footage could be from the Atlanta Fiddlers convention held that year but admits that we don't know for sure. He is fairly certain it is John Carson in the footage and I tend to agree though it would be nice to see an identified photo of him from around that same year/in a similar hat. I think most photos we have of him are from a few years later after he started recording and was wearing a slightly different style of hat.
Thanks for that earlier photo Chris. And it's true he was a man of many hats!
And thanks for trying to suss out the song Suzy, I am definitely not equipped with the skills to do that. Would be wonderful to know for sure what song it is and would, of course, be even better if there were sound to accompany the film.
What a video! I'm thinking the older feller bouncing around while playing at 0:52 is Uncle Jimmie Thompson, Columbia recording star and 1st performer on the Grand Ole Opry. He was a veteran of these contests and toured around as a pro entertainer. Wouldn't be a shock for him to be extra 'entertaining', with that in mind. He was a pro. Another question: Georgia convention and no Gid?!? -Shovel
Edit: Screenshot of bouncy feller, as well as a studio photo of UJT from 1926 I think, attached for reference
« Last Edit: August 23, 2019, 01:29:25 PM by TheShovel »
Polk Brockman, who told Ralph Peer to record Fiddlin' John, said that he saw John Carson in a silent newsreel from a fiddlers convention in Virginia. Probably a different reel altogether, but this footage made me think of it.