Fiddlin' Doc Roberts

Fiddlin 'Doc Roberts ( born April 26, 1897 Madison County, Kentucky, as a dock Philip Roberts, † 4 August 1978 ) was an American Old-time musicians. Roberts was one of the first Old-time musicians from Kentucky, was recorded on vinyl and played over 80 songs in nearly a decade.

Life

Childhood and youth

Doc Roberts was near Kirksville, Kentucky, born in 1897. After the early death of his father Robert and his brothers took over the family farm and with seven he learned from his big brother Liebert fiddle playing. Both brothers were strongly influenced by the Afro-American Fiddler Owen Walker, of the Roberts claims to be learned most of the songs of his repertoire. Other pieces he picked up from friends and neighbors.

Career

The year 1925 brought Roberts Records debut. From his neighbor Dennis W. Taylor, a farmer and talent scout of the label Gennett Records, he was invited, along with Welby Toomey and Edgar Boaz for Gennett hold a session in her studio in Richmond, Indiana. On 30 September, the first recordings were made, but published Gennett only the four instrumental tracks, recorded the Roberts and Edgar Boaz on the following day. In mid-November of the same year, the trio again traveled to Richmond to record the rejected songs with Welby Toomey again, this time also appeared to disk.

This first studio session was the start of a successful career as a musician for Roberts; in these years experienced traditional Old- Time Music a boom and almost all the plates of any rural musicians sold well if they do not even reached sellers. Only Roberts dislike traveling prevented a national career, the other Fiddler as Fiddlin ' Arthur Smith and Clayton McMichen smashing.

Roberts left Gennett and formed his own band, the Kentucky Thoroughbreds, with the railwaymen Charles " Dick" Parman (vocals) and Charles " Ted" Chesnut. Your session for Paramount Records in 1927 produced songs from a wide-ranging repertoire as Folk ( Only a Miner ), a sentimental popular pieces ( In the Shade of the Old Apple Tree ), gospel and old-time course.

1927 Roberts met the talented singer and guitarist Asa Martin, with whom he played at Fiddlers ' Contest vaudeville shows and other events. Moreover, the two were often heard on the radio, for example, on WHAS in Louisville and played for Bennett and the labels of the American Record Corporation, a number of plates. At the same time, Roberts was hired on Bradley Kincaid on the National Barn Dance from Chicago, returned after two weeks but returned to Kentucky, because he could not sleep because of the big city noise.

The third session with Martin Roberts brought his son James, who played mandolin. From the duo Roberts & Martin was the Fiddlin 'Doc Roberts Trio, the plates were still far more popular than Doc Roberts' solo singles with James. For these recordings Roberts played mandolin while his son and Martin sang. During this time, the trio and their sub-labels for Gennett Records was Champion and Supertone Records. The sales figures usually amounted to 4,000 to 5,000 remote copies, sometimes up to 20,000, which does not zoom enough to the sales of other Old-time stars such as Jimmie Rodgers, the Carter Family or the Skillet Lickers. For the next few years the career ran - despite the economic crisis - relatively well on, even with radio appearances on distant stations as in Council Bluffs, Iowa. From the early 1930s, Roberts was asked mainly on the radio and the stations were swamped with fan letters for him. About WLAP Roberts was heard every day and went on a Saturday night in a radio Barn Dance.

Retreat from the music business

1934 Robert decided to largely withdraw from the plate business and devote himself to his farm. However, he denied guest appearances on WLW and WHAS and Barn Dances occurred Barn Dances in Madison County with his other son Donald on. His son James began his solo career, and shortly thereafter was known as James Carson, Asa Martin continued to work mainly on the radio.

Beginning of the 1960s were rediscovered during the folk revival of a young audience Roberts old recordings. At this time he had already completely given up the music and was an elderly man. Fans and music journalists as standard Cohen and Charles K. Wolfe interviewed Roberts and articles about him and his career appeared in the trade press. In addition to some reissues on Rounder County and Roberts joined in 1974 at the Berea College together with Asa Martin and son James on a reunion concert.

Doc Roberts died in 1978 at the age of 82 years.

Discography

Discography is not complete.