This video is of a workshop I presented at Breakin’ Up Winter in March 2020, on the fiddle tunes of African-American fiddler Bill Katon (1864-1934). Katon lived in Central Missouri and played over state-owned radio station WOS from Jefferson City in the early 1920s. Toward the end I teach two tunes from that era and area: “Fever in the South” and “Black Sally Goodin”.
The only known photo of Katon appears below. I obtained it from his niece Mable Reynolds who was living in Cedar City, MO, a tiny flood-prone hamlet directly across the Missouri River from Jefferson City. It was an unusual photograph that had seemingly been colorized with chalk or pastels, a process with which I am not familiar. Incidentally, the town no longer exists, all the property having been bought out by FEMA following the disastrous flood of 1993.
Katon lived near Tebbetts, MO, located a little east of Jefferson City on the north side of the Missouri River. Katon gained national fame in the 1920s by his numerous appearances on WOS Radio with his able guitarist Ola Gathright (1879-1966).
Both Katon and Gathright are buried in the small cemetery located on the bluff above Tebbetts at the historic Oakley Chapel African Methodist Episcopal Church. I took a walk up there while I was working on a project related to WOS Radio’s old-time fiddlers and snapped these pictures of Katon and Gathright’s grave markers.
There are no known recordings of Katon, however I extrapolated from playing of white tradition bearers from the area known to play tunes in the Black repertoire. Perhaps these renditions are similar to how Katon might have played the tunes. We’ll never know.
The first of the tunes in the video “Fever in the South” comes from Vee Latty of Fulton. Hear Latty’s version below.
The other, “Black Sally Goodin” is from Pete McMahan of Harrisburg, MO. McMahan grew up and learned to play in the area west of Tebbetts along the Missouri River.
The most well-known of Katon’s tunes is called “Katon’s Hornpipe”. Many people call it by an alternate title “Jeff City”. A transcription of the tune appears in R. P. Christeson’s Old Time Fidders Repertory (Missouri University Press, 1973). Many fiddlers in the Missouri Valley played Katon’s Hornpipe as disseminated by another radio performer from that region Bob Walters. The rendition below is from a contemporary of Walters, Cyril Stinnett.
I’ve included a PDF of my transcriptions of these three tunes below.
Possum’s Record Rack
I’m thinning out my record and book collection and will be posting an offering at the end of each of my new posts. If you’re interested in what you see send me an email to bigfiddleshow@gmail.com. Payment by PayPal invoice. All records are sold as-is. No returns.
This batch is of 5 Ukrainian-Canadian fiddle LPs from Western Canada of traditional Ukrainian fiddling. Wear consistent with age. $25 USD Postpaid (USPS Media Mail - no international shipping).
1. Ukranian Dance Time with Jim Gregrash - this one is a "cut-out". See photo.
2. D-Drifter-5 play Ukrainian Dance Favorites
3. Peter Picklyk & his Rhythm Aces - by Request Ukrainian Favorites
4. Dance with Peter Lamb and his Sunshine Pals
5. Fiddlin' Bill Proopchuk and his Country Kings play Old Time Ukranian Melodies Never Recorded.
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