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MUSIC Oldtime Fiddlers keep the old tunes — and their stories — alive Oldtime Fiddlers celebrate 50th anniversary this year Comment By Vickie Aldous Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By Vickie Aldous Mail Tribune Posted May. 26, 2015 at 11:28 AM Updated May 28, 2015 at 4:36 PM By Vickie Aldous Mail Tribune Posted May. 26, 2015 at 11:28 AM Updated May 28, 2015 at 4:36 PM » Social News Old Joe Clark, the inspiration for a fiddle tune from the 1800s, is described on a historical marker in Kentucky as "a shiftless and rough mountaineer." "His enemies were legion; he was murdered in 1885," the state marker reads. "It mischaracterizes him as a ne'er-do-well," protests his distant relative, local resident and fiddle and guitar player Melinda Grant. Grant and 40 other musicians from the local chapter of the Oregon Oldtime Fiddlers Association are helping to keep historical tunes like "Old Joe Clark" alive, telling the stories behind the songs when they perform. Audiences can hear the lively fiddlers next at the Children's Heritage Fair, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, May 30, at Hanley Farm, 1053 Hanley Road, outside Central Point. Members also will play from noon to 3 p.m. Saturday, June 6, in Gold Hill's city park during Gold Dust Days. But when listening to the passionate musicians who also play harmonica, accordion, ukulele, mandolin, stand-up bass, be warned: You can't help but get up and dance, or at least tap a few toes. Oldtime members vary in age and come from all walks of life, but they share two things: a love for the old-time roots music and sharing stories. Grant says old Joe Clark volunteered to serve in the Civil War and came back a changed man. Still, he was hard-working, taking care of orchards, running a government-sanctioned still — and caring for the many children he fathered with various women. "He was a womanizer," Grant concedes. It was his womanizing that did him in when a former lover conspired with her new boyfriend to shoot him and claim Clark left her his farm. The boyfriend was knifed to death a few days later, according to some historical accounts. Grant says her family members were the ones who meted out the revenge, then fled to California. For members of the Oldtime Fiddlers, which are celebrating their 50th anniversary this year, their performances expose audiences to a part of history that might otherwise be forgotten. Their playlist includes folksy favorites such as "Buffalo Gals," show-stoppers such as "Fire on the Mountain" and ones you likely have never heard before, such as "Shove That Pig's Foot a Little Further in the Fire." "Most of the tunes are over 100 years old," member Judy McGarvey says, noting some predate the Revolutionary War. The Lewis and Clark expedition likely would have fared far worse without its fiddle-playing members, who attracted American Indians for dances and trading for horses, supplies and dogs. The expedition members ate the dogs, McGarvey notes. She says she found music and lyrics for the song "Whiskey Before Breakfast" in a book of old Irish drinking tunes. In the song, a man meets two elderly men sitting on steps and downing a bottle of whiskey before breakfast. He takes a sip, is unable to quit and joins the men on the steps. Eventually the whole town is singing, "Lord preserve us and protect us, we've been drinking whiskey 'fore breakfast." Another song often played by the fiddlers, "I've Been Workin' on the Railroad," is well-known to children but has lesser-known verses with more adult themes. In some versions, for example, that reference to "someone's in the kitchen with Dinah" means more than just strumming on the old banjo. Other verses speak of danger and hardship, such as when a man driving spikes into railroad ties on a trestle must race to avoid being hit by an oncoming train. McGarvey says with the advent of YouTube and cellphones, more old-time music is being performed, shared and learned. But meeting up with fellow musicians for jam sessions and public performances is still an important and fun way to spread knowledge about the music. "If it isn't played, it's lost," she says. The Oldtime Fiddlers keep up a busy performance schedule and offer instruction to musicians of all ages and experience levels. Each month except for August, they host a public signup jam from 1 to 4 p.m. the first Saturday at various locations. For more information about Oldtime Fiddlers performances, jam sessions, classes and music, visit ootfa4.org . By Vickie Aldous Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By Vickie Aldous Mail Tribune Posted May. 26, 2015 at 11:28 AM Updated May 28, 2015 at 4:36 PM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... 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