Guest Blogger: Grant WheelerAn important audio document if only for the fact that Bryant Houston was a hugely influential fiddler who never recorded commercially. Details about this particular recording are scarce beyond the fact it took place in 1955. I was hoping to write something eloquent and insightful about Bryant but realized something along those lines had already been said by one of the most eloquent and insightful gentleman in fiddling... Jim "Texas Shorty" Chancellor.
"My first impression of Bryant Houston's playing was that his sound was really different compared to most fiddle players I had heard, almost like the sound of a concert violinist turned old time fiddler. I later learned that Bryant had been trained as a concert violinist at the urging of his father, Lek Houston. I'm not sure why he turned to fiddle playing, but I know he was part Cherokee Indian, and I think that influenced his playing. It was also clear that he had an affinity to nature's own music. One tune that he was best at was "Listen to the Mockingbird". Bryant would play that tune and make birdcalls on the fiddle. He told us he learned it by sitting alone on the bank of a creek listening to the birds, and then he would do his best to mimic them. Sounded to us like we were sitting on that bank along with him. There were other tunes Bryant played that he could hardly be beaten at, like "Gray Eagle" and "Lime Rock". I learned Bryant's arrangements of these tunes and blended them with the arrangements I learned from Benny Thomasson."
Texas Shorty
Below is an excerpt from the book "Prairie Knights to Neon Lights"
"Contest style fiddling was still popular in the postwar decades. With contests scattered across the region, West Texas fiddlers continued to hone their skills for competition. One of the greatest, Bryant Houston, never recorded commercially and was un-known to the general public, but he won more than 450 1st Pl. finishes in fiddle contest throughout the state and was highly regarded by his fiddle playing peers. Champion fiddler Texas Shorty, for example, considers Houston one of the greatest Texas style fiddlers, and Houston was a big influence on Shorty's music. Houston is particularly remembered for his excellent rendition of "Limerock", arguably the most difficult piece in in Texas tradition.
Born William Bryant Houston in Abilene in 1911, he was the son of Captain Poe [sic] Houston, a noted fiddler who, according to Bryant, wrote the Texas federal standard, "Chuck in the Bush". The Houston family formed a band in 1925 and played for the next few years in theaters throughout the West Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Kansas. In the late 20s, the family moved to California where they lived for several years before returning to Texas in the 1930s. Back in Texas, the family played in Winters, Ballenger, and Brownwood. In 1938 "Cap" Houston won the fiddle contest held at Stamford during the Stamford Stampede celebration. Bryant Houston spent his last years in a nursing home in Rising Star." (Alan Munde/Joe Carr)
One cool bonus about this recording is that we get to hear the voice of Bryant himself announcing some of his tunes. If anyone has any additional information about this recording or knows the name of the other gentleman who announces Bryant and some of the tunes, please drop us a note.
Link to a brief bio/obit:
(additional audio sweetening by Stephen Schauer)
My sister in law gave me two very good CDs of Bryant Houston playing the fiddle. They are titled Bryant Houston Texas Mockingbird Genius 2004 Hale & Williams Music and Stradivarius made it Bryant Houston played it copyright 2005 Hale & Williams Music. Their email address halewilliamsmusic@yahoo.com. You might try contacting them to see if they have any of the CDs left. Wanda Autry My email address wlautry@gmail.com
ReplyDeleteI picked up his first recording OVER THE WAVES / 12TH STREET RAG on the Raytone label at a yard sale in Colorado. Love his music.
ReplyDeleteI lived in Cisco in the 60s. Duane Hale is a Cisco historian and runs a Cisco museum. He produced the music CD. I have one but I am not sure it is still in production.
ReplyDeleteAlso, look up Charlie Brown - Mean Mean Mama and My Hungry Heart - 1950s Cisco music.