Eck Robertson

Alexander "Eck" Robertson (born November 20, 1887 Delaney, Arkansas, died February 15, 1975 Borger, Texas) was an American fiddle player, mostly known for being the first country musician to be recorded in 1922.

Biography

Robertson grew up on a farm in Texas where his family had moved about 1891. Apart from being a farmer, his father worked as a preacher in the community. At the age of five, Robertson began learning to play the fiddle, and later on even banjo and guitar. In 1904, he went with a travelling medicine show, performing on local dances until he got married and settled down in 1906. During the 1920s, he was a regular performer at the "Annual Old Confederate Soldiers' Reunions". He became friends with fiddler Henry C. Gilliland who accompanied him to New York City in the summer of 1922 when he had received a recording contract by the Victor Talking Machine Company. On June 30, 1922, Robertson recorded six tracks - one of them being the well-known "Sally Gooden" coupled with the fiddle duet, Arkansaw Traveler. The record was released in April 1923. Robertson's rendition of "Sally Gooden" showcased his ability to interpret one melody with several variations. The next time he recorded was in August 1929, this time together with his wife Nettie on guitar, his daughter Daphne, tenor guitar and his son Dueron, banjo. One month later he made his final professional recording together with the Texas fiddler J. B. Cranfill. Robertson continued to perform extensively at dances, theaters, fiddlers' conventions and on radio. In the 1960s, John Cohen visited Robertson at his home in Amarillo, Texas and taped some of his music. Besides being a fiddler, Robertson was also a piano-tuner.

References

*"Stars of Country Music", (University of Illinois Press, 1975)
*"Tony Russell; Country Music Originals", (Oxford University Press, 2007)

External links

* [http://www.oldtimemusic.com/FHOFEck.html Eck Robertson] in the Fiddler's Hall of Fame. (Includes mp3 of "Sally Gooden)
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