In 1958, a young John Hartford was traveling Missouri's back roads with a Wollensak tape recorder, seeking out older fiddlers whose music had never been commercially recorded.

One of those fiddlers was Walter Alexander of Leasburg, Missouri.

There isn't much of a biography left behind. Walter was born in 1890 and died in 1974, and the paper trail is surprisingly thin.

Thankfully, Hartford's tapes tell us a little more.

In this episode, we listen to Mr. Alexander's playing and talk about the raw, unabashed style that reminds me so much of Roy Wooliver, the wide-ranging repertoire of Missouri fiddlers, and why those old field recordings are so important to anyone who cares about this music.

Hartford wasn't looking for famous musicians. He was looking for good ones.

And sometimes, all that's left of a good fiddler is the sound of his bow.

I've written more about Walter Alexander and included the recording discussed in this episode here: Broken Bow Fiddle Co.

Thanks for listening.

There's always another tape waiting on the shelf.

— John P. Williams

Broken Bow Tapes

How does a musician become legendary when almost everything about him disappears?

Roy Wooliver left behind no commercial recordings, only one known photograph, and a paper trail that's often more confusing than helpful. Yet his influence can still be heard through the musicians who knew him, especially Gene Goforth, who once said Roy taught him something more valuable than tunes... expression.

In this episode of Broken Bow Tapes, John P. Williams follows the trail through oral histories, field recordings, and the research of Dr. Howard Marshall to piece together the story of one of Missouri's most influential, and most elusive, old-time fiddlers.

• Who was Roy Wooliver?
• Why Gene Goforth never forgot him.
• John Hartford's remarkable 1958 recordings.
• Separating documented history from oral tradition.
• Why Roy's influence far outlived the man himself.

• Drive Folder (untitled, sorry)
• John Hartford's, "Hamilton Ironworks"
• Gene Goforth's, "Eminence Breakdown"
• MSOTFA release
• Dr. Marshall's, "Keep It Old-Time"

🌐 Website: Broken Bow Fiddle Co.

This episode draws extensively from the research of Dr. Howard W. Marshall, whose lifelong work documenting Missouri's musical traditions has preserved countless stories that might otherwise have been lost. His landmark book, Keep It Old-Time: Fiddle Music in Missouri from the 1960s Folk Music Revival to the Present, published by the University of Missouri Press, was an invaluable resource in researching the life and legacy of Roy Wooliver.

If you'd like to explore Missouri's rich fiddle tradition, I highly recommend adding this and Howard's other published work to your library.

"You should've heard Gene."

For many Missouri fiddlers, Gene Goforth wasn't just another great musician. He was the standard by which others were measured. His influence reached far beyond the Ozarks through the people who learned from him, the tunes he passed along, and the recordings that preserved his remarkable style.

In this episode, we look at why Gene's name still comes up whenever Missouri fiddlers gather, and why so many musicians, including John Hartford, believed his music deserved to be remembered.

• Gene Goforth
• John Hartford
• Eminence Breakdown
• Hamilton Ironworks
• The Missouri fiddle tradition
• Learning tunes by listening, not by lessons

Free downloads of the recordings featured in this episode are available below.

If you'd like to dig a little deeper, you'll find additional articles, photos, and resources at Broken Bow Fiddle Co.

If you enjoyed this episode, I'd appreciate it if you'd follow the podcast and share it with someone who loves old-time music or Missouri fiddling.