SOPUCH
will be the co-
television
year's Old Fiddlers
get under way next
at 7:30 with a jam
west side of the cour-
annual fiddlin' ex-
Which will last all day
mission charges or entry fees will
continue in effect made possible by the
TFA leasing concession stands around
the Athens square, proceeds from the
street carnival held in conjunction with
the fiddling event and donations from
three Athens financial institutions:
First National Bank of Athens, First
State Bank of Athens and Bank of
Athens.
an~'d is destined for McGee expects last year's estimated
possible national crowd of more than 65,000 music fans
on the satellite-cable will be exceeded this May as more than
market.
to Jerry Morrow, local
of Front Runner
a production crew of
four cameras and
sound mixing equipment
the entire jam session
me around-the-town
100 fiddlers vie for $2,185 prize money in
27 different categories.
The 1982 Grand Champion, 17-year-
old Jimmy Don Bates of Austin, will be
back this year to defend his title against
the likes of Texas Shorty, a former five-
time champion who sat out last year's
Fiddlers' Reunion, and 16-year-old
and its residents to Bobble Glaze of Humble, another up-
coming talent.
also owns Morrow Celebrity judges
a Radio Shack outlet Heading the list of celebrity judges
State Highway 31 east and entertainers this May is 68-year-old
explained that nextCliff Bruner, whom TFA general
will be edited manager Bud Hall credits with
Palladium while Little Red went on to
play with Ray Price and the Cherokee
Cowboys and Jim Reeves and the Blue
Boys.
Hall considers Hayes "the best fid-
dler in the world" noting, "not even
Johnny Gimble can cut him." McGee
has not yet heard whether or not
Gimble, a fellow barber from Waco,
will put in an appearance at this year's
Athens reunion.
A former member of Nashville's
hallowed Grand ale Opry, Gimble
currently provides fiddle background
on 90 percent of the records made in
Nashville, according to Hall.
Also judging this May's fiddle contest
will be Sonny Stewart of Houston,
touted by Hall to be "one of the greatest
take-off guitar players around." The
Houston employee of Gulf Oil formerly
played lead guitar on the Jimmy Dean
television show. Stewart's wife sang in
Dean's band and will accompany him
at this year's Fiddlers' Reunion.
Joining Stewart on the judging staff
and also on the bandstand with Cliff
Bruner and the Texas Wanderers will
for 00 minute feature originating the "swing fiddle" style of be Houstonians Sleepy Thompkins and ~.~- -~
or marketing on a play. , Ernest Hunter .- ~ ~-~- ,~,
network sometime Hall said Bruner began his musical • Texas Wanderers ~" ...... , , " .~V~; ~' ',
of taping, career at the tender age of. 14 fiddlin. Bemdes all of the above ludges, *~. :,., ...... ~ :,~.~,~.,,~'~ ,~ ................ . ,' .......... ......
ms, president of Front for Milton Brown and his Mumcal Bruner's stage band will include some A AMI IAR
lotions, s i e Brownies on WBAP Radio in Fort area musical stars F L SIGHT--In the early l~0s in Malakoff. wa• a trainload of lignite on Its why from the Malnkoff Fuel Company
. a d the n wly- ~n,4~o n ..... ~, o.,n ms,, ~_ih~,~ ,¢ work site to the Texa• Power & Light Company electric generating plant In Trinidad. Lignite has long held a place of Impm'-
any of six weeks is Worth. Brown and Bob Wills both .:. ..... ~..u~ .... ? ....... ,,,:,~,~,~,,, tanee in area hI•tory and promlses to again as plans are underway for future mining of the area The phote was provlded by
I in Dallas and Her-played for the legendary Lightcrust Amens wm pray arums ann saxopnone ¢,..a. ....
~essee, about 20 miles Doughboys, according to Hall, Bro.wn while Larry Howeth, a peanut farmer .................... : e ...... .
Wille. left that group first to organize his and ivory tickler from the New York -
Community of Henderson County will / • ,
also affiliated with Hill Musical Brownies and later Wills, asall sit at the piano /~ [ Get the Best for your Advertmmg Dollar
uctions, another Texas- country music fans know, went on to
) "
n production company, fame and fortune with his Texas Maurice Anderson of Dallas will plink ~ ~.&~ , ~k,~, I
COmpany is currently at Playboys. . ........ the steel guitar for the Texas Wan- [ Thil! iTi[si|lilxnff i i llrll
final-variety series called Besides judgm.g me _.~m~ers derers at their noon concert Friday and ",~~, f~/~r~ I .....................
! Shows for the satellite- Reunion and sittin" in on inursaay s again during the street dance Friday ~~,2,,~)~, ] A.l:llo_inl ~ ~ 1
With 10 of the 26 shows jam session, which begins at 7:30 p.m, night. According to Hall, Anderson is _/f[°"°~ 7,~~.~/ I ~ "~U'~TVUU~"
1 selhn I I I
ta and l3 in Illinois on the west side of the courthouse, the manufacturer of the No. " g I I
[so lining up the taping of Bruner will front a band called the steel guitar in the country, MSA. ~,~,,~. ~:- "//"}~ [ ~ b ~, A ~ ~ .--l-- ~ .-,~
UScular Dystrophy Chili Texas Wanderers scheduled to perform James Weaver of Tyler will sing and w r.. I R • •llAJlIm
~aSonAugustl3-15. Friday at noon and again for the street play bass for the Texas Wanderers and ~ I {tl l •l ]lIOll• Ill/
' s wlth :~ ?~: ~ ~:'~ !".~.~.'~ •
also kick off Friday s proceeding ' ~J~..'~ [ ~ l/I ~ l~' I I ~ ~
to 'rFA president Bobdanceat8p.m, " his Rose City Show Band comprised oftg'l~,ll~ i~M ll'~l~l~ [ "~ ~'~l, "~," ~" I ~l~ IF ~ll
year's fiddlers' ex- Performing and sharing the juaging
~Omises to be the biggest chores with Bruner win be ~ttle. R,ed Bowman, Gibbs, Howeth and Anderson. ~l~ ][~~ I ~ ~. I
t more than a half-century Hayes of Jasper, who suirted ticK|in a Both Hall and McGee will share the ......... I ~ / I - -
~eup of celebritv tudues, fiddle with his older brother, Big Red masters-of-ceremonies chores during' ~Ml~l~l~'.,~ ! I ~ /I - -- --- -
the Fiddlers Reun on he e May 2 . • --~d~-~ • ~ l I : . - --
, a street carnival and