William Marshall - FRC735

William Marshal – Fancy Gap Fiddle and Banjo Music – FRC735

$15.00

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Description

William Marshall (1915-1992) was a fine fiddler and banjo player who lived near Hillsville, Carroll County, Virginia. He played in the classic Galax style; his bowing and a great many of his tunes came from his father, Abraham Marshall (1881-1962). Mr. Marshall was recorded several times over the years, but only a very small number of tracks have been released to date, scattered among four compilation albums. This FRC album, which shines a well-deserved spotlight on Mr. Marshall’s music, is made from field recordings by Peter Hoover (1961 & 1962) and Tom Carter (1972 & 1974).

They were all so different, the musicians I visited during my years of fieldwork on the central Blue Ridge. But of all of them, William Marshall may have been the sweetest. Just a really nice guy. He seemed shy and had this charming way of laughing at the end of each sentence. And I loved his farm, in the Fancy Gap section south of Hillsville, Carroll County, Virginia. There wasn’t a real driveway, but a dirt road winding down a hillside to the house, tucked in the ravine by the stream. He lived there with his second wife, Ollie Mae Radford, and the place for me was like the mountain home I had always dreamed of having. I was so young that William (1915-1992) seemed like an old guy at the time, but he was only in his late fifties and still an active musician, often playing in a band with his neighbors Calvin Cole and Howard Hall. He was a lovely fiddler in the classic Galax tradition, and his bowing and a great many of his tunes came from his father, Abraham Marshall (1881-1962). I wasn’t the first or last to record William. Peter Hoover visited him in 1961 and 1962, and some of the music from those sessions is included here. I just feel fortunate to have had the chance to spend time with William and pleased to share that experience with you.

Thanks to my friend Blanton Owen, and to the National Endowment for the Humanities for a grant that funded the fieldwork for my portion of this recording. —Tom Carter (Summer 2025)

William Marshall: fiddle (1-12, 18-23, 25-47;
banjo (13-17
Tom Carter: banjo (18-22, 40-47)
1-12 rec. by Peter Hoover, August 25, 1961 13-16 rec. by Peter Hoover, May 5, 1962
18-24 rec. by Tom Carter, August 1972
25-39 rec. by Tom Carter, January 9, 1974
17, 40-47 rec. by Tom Carter, December 10, 1973

released December 29, 2025

Track List

William Marshal – Fancy Gap Fiddle and Banjo Music – FRC735

  1. Old Joe Clark 1:06
  2. Mississippi Sawyer 1:40
  3. Backstep Cindy 1:05
  4. Arkansas Traveler 1:40
  5. Old Dan Tucker 1:11
  6. 8th of January 1:22
  7. Rockingham Cindy 1:34
  8. Fire in the Mountain 1:14
  9. Sally Goodin 1:24
  10. Jimmy Sutton 1:06
  11. Flop-Eared Mule 1:14
  12. Stomp Down Trouble in Mind 1:16
  13. John Hardy 1:49
  14. Molly Put the Kettle On 1:29
  15. Sourwood Mountain 1:44
  16. Little Frankie 1:21
  17. Sally Ann (banjo) 0:45
  18. Barlow Knife 1:45
  19. Pretty Little Gal 2:28
  20. Cider Mill 1:40
  21. Walking in the Parlor 2:09
  22. Round Town Gals 1:45
  23. Sandy River Belles 1:16
  24. [Talk – Good fiddlers] 0:29
  25. Lost Train Blues 1:49
  26. Chicken Reel 1:08
  27. John D. Rockefeller Put the Panic On 1:14
  28. Big Eyed Rabbit 1:30
  29. Cumberland Gap 1:18
  30. New River Train 1:17
  31. Twin Sisters 1:10
  32. Salt River 1:29
  33. Turkey in the Straw 1:44
  34. Wild Goose Chase (Duck’s Eyeball) 1:44
  35. Sugar Babe 1:17
  36. Cleveland’s March 1:30
  37. Lost Indian 1:43
  38. Old-Time Shady Grove 1:00
  39. Dead Feller 2:00
  40. Saro 1:30
  41. Soldier’s Joy 2:36
  42. Western Country 1:47
  43. Cousin Sally Brown 1:38
  44. Black Eyed Girl 2:02
  45. Sugar in the Gourd 2:37
  46. Breaking Up Christmas 2:09
  47. Sweet Sunny South 1:35

Total time: 74:40

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