DAN DIXON – Old Time Fiddler
Cindy – Red Wing – Sally Ann – Lost Indian – Peacock Rag – Rubber Dolly – Golden Slippers – Rag Time Annie – Flop Eared Mule – Sweet Alice Waltz – San Antonio Rose – Bonapartes Retreat – Bully Of The Town – Angelina The Baker – Waltz You Saved For Me – Twinkle Twinkle Little Star
Dan Dixon is a mainstay in Mountain View, Arkansas. Mountain View is home to more old-time country musicians on a pro-rata basis to population than any other city in the world. And that brings us to Dan Dixon, one of Mountain View’s best old-time fiddlers. His selection of tunes for this particular CD is a ‘perfect’ teaching device for young fiddlers just learning how to play. Every one of the tunes is a main-stay of fiddle music, especially in the upper Midwest, and the Ozark region of Missouri and Arkansas. This kind of old time fiddling is a fading art form, not many do it anymore, and to find one that does, is like finding a pretty pearl in the middle of a whole big bunch of oysters. I like the way producer Bob Reed describes this particular project. “Imagine sitting on the front porch of an old farm house back in the 1930’s. For the evening entertainment, four musicians are making music with a fiddle, guitar, mandolin, and bass. That’s the sound you experience with this recording. Old time and down home.” I couldn’t say it better. Bob Reed produced this recording at the Fiddler’s Valley RV Resort Studio in Mountain View. He has been able to capture the ‘true’ sound of what old time fiddle music was all about. Remember please, back when the fiddle was the most popular instrument, there was no TV, no radio, no record players, no computers, no internet. Imagine traveling to Arkansas in an old covered wagon pulled by a couple of mules. Loaded so heavy they couldn’t hardly pull it, but there was no symphonic orchestras in that covered wagon, but you can bet your last buttermilk biscuit there was an old fiddle laying neatly away, awaiting it’s time of arrival, either a campsite for the night, or a final homestead somewhere in the Ozarks. And guess what became the favorite entertainment for the evening, no matter where? You’re right, fiddle music. Dan is that old-time fiddler. Accompanying him is Big John Logsdon and Bob Reed on guitar; Bob Reed also added bass later on in the studio, and Lucy Jackson is playing the ‘eggs.’ You know what, I don’t know what ‘eggs’ is. I can hear a kind of ‘rattle’ sound occasionally like maracas, but I suspect they might be ‘egg shakers’ that kids used to play along with the old time fiddler. Yep, this is ‘front’ porch entertainment. Mind now, I said ‘front’ porch, not back porch. That means it’s a step up, don’t you know. Somewhere you’re going to find an old tune that you haven’t heard in a long long time on this fine CD. Great old-time fiddle music hear, hear, hear, pass it along.
Dan Dixon, Maximal Records, P O Box 327, Mountain View, AR 72560
RECORD REVIEW BY BOB EVERHART