Journal Gazette from Mattoon, Illinois • Page 12

if i nti in-i'n i'f irm on ifiiyinumminpn A-lt-Mattocn (P.) Journal Gatetto- Thuredey, September 11X0 Area fiddler wins trophy on a very unexpected note place in Old-Time Fiddlers Contest waltz, to show that they could play both fast and slow," Harrison said. "Some people can qnly play one way, you know." Harrison was then selected by the judges as being one of the five best fiddlers in the state, giving him a shot at the state title. "I was real suprised that I made it that far," he said. In the finals, he explained, the contestant gets to choose one song of his or her own choice. "In the first round.

I played "The Arkansas Traveler," which is a song that the mistrels used to do back in the 1850's or so. "There's this great, tremendous long skit that goes along with the song. Not too many people do the skit anymore, but it's real funny." For his second number, Harrison selected "The Black Hawk Waltz." "Its a song that I heard a guy down in Missouri play," Harrison said. "I don't know how old it is or anything, though." His second place song was "East Tenneessee." "I learned that song from a guy down in Greenup, a Mr. Odie Griffith.

He's helped me a lot over the years, taught me how to play many songs. "Odie works on insturments, so he taught me how to fix my own. I had to learn how, out of necessity, because I can't afford to have all my insturments fixed." Harrison placed second to Chlores Warlow of Mt Carmel. Third place went to 12-year-old Allison Krauss of Champaign. Fourth place went to Archie Smothers of Pana.

Harrison said that he started playing "country" instruments about 13 years ago and took up the fiddle 10 years ago. "We used to live out south of Charleston," he said, "but we moved into town. 1 started to play to avoid boredom. "There's a good chance that I never would have become a country musician if we had stayed in the country. In the country, you can always find something to do.

You can Harrison wins 2nd JEFF PAINE SUM Writer BUSHTON The strangest things can happen when you go to an old-time fiddlers' contest. Garry Harrison, 29, of Bushton, went to the Illinois State Old-Time Fiddlers Contest In Shelbyville Sunday "just to listen," and came home with a trophy for second place. "My wife and I went just to listen," said Harrison. "I took my fiddle along because I thought that there would be lots of players around outside, not participating in the contest, just playing. "Then Raymond Easter, the guy who runs the contest, talked me into entering.

"I really wasn't ready," said Harrison. "I hadn't prepared, and I didn't have anyone there to accompany me. So I paid my $2 entry fee and picked out a guy who was there and went to it. "It was a real suprise to me that I finished like I did," said Harrison. "I wouldn't have been ashamed to take last place with that bunch.

There were some really good fiddle players there. "I'm glad I didn't have to judge the contest and I feel sorry for those who did because it would have been real difficult." Much to his own suprise, Harrison took home a trophy and a $100 cash prize for second place. "So far as I can remember," Harrison said, "This is the only thing I've ever won." Harrison explained that there are four categories for participants: Over 70 years old, under 19 years old, 19 to 70 years old, and a women's division. Harrison entered in the 19- to 70-year-old category. According to Harrison, about 500 people showed up to listen to the contest, but only 19 entered the competition.

Harrison also said that the first place winners from the other three divisions then play aginst the entrants of the 19 to 70 division for the state championship. "Each contestant had to play a hoedown and a 1 I A Harrison Garry Harrison also said that he recently found picture of his grandfather, who had once been a barber in Bushton in the early years of the century. In the picture, his grandfather is standing outside his a step out and go hunting or whatever you want. I was so bored In Charleston that I had to do something to pass the time." What he did was to start playing the guitar, banjo and fiddle. He is now the lead fiddler of the "Indian Creek Delta Boys Old-Time String Band," and works as a furniture salesman at The Areola Emporium in Areola.

Harrison also noted that his band is now "The Official String Band of the State of Illinois." "Back in 1981, we thought that it would be a pretty good idea, so we went to (State Representative) Larry Stuffle with the idea," he said. "We thought we deserved the title because we travel all over the state and have been working to preserve the old-time music as best we can. "Larry liked the idea, wrote up a bill and got it pushed through. By a very narrow margin. There was apparently a great deal of opposition to the idea of a band being named 'The Official'." "But it did pass, so I think that it is etched in granite now." Several years ago, Harrison was the principle field worker for a Eastern Illinois University grant to collect and preserve the old-time music heritage of Illinois.

"Most of the stuff seems to be from before radio and records," Harrison said. "Before those things came along, a musician wanted to play like the guy down the road or over in the next township. When recorded music came along, everyone wanted to sound like the guys on the record "Mainly, we found that older players knew the stuff. It was very often things handed down from one generation to the next, never written down, but passd on by learning how to play from a relative or a neighbor," he said. "Most of the players we found were older, in their 70's and 80 s.

They'd learned the songs when they were young, but never got to teach them to anyone themselves. All because of radio and records." Bupor Paint Interior riAt Latex Wall Paint $099gal Biireg. $20 99 I SSZSSS55 I rUtlaUatWUl vm I i i i I 4 tT JSS I. 7 mm op? I I Paint FUt How fr Trim Paint I SrS 1 I UPI wirephoto American University professors I rOTCSSOrS linCl Richard Breltmaw (left) and Alan Kraut say they have identified a German I I I industrialist who warned the allies in nGlpTUI LjGNTIcin World War II ofg Hitler's plan to deal with the Jews. mm barbershop with members of a string band His grandfather is proudly holding up a fiddle, ready to play "Looks like it runs in the family, doesn't It," Harrison mused.

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