Walter Alexander - The Fiddler from Leasburg, Missouri

I've been digging through some of John Hartford's old Missouri field recordings lately, and this one sent me down another rabbit hole.

Walter Alexander was a fiddler from Leasburg, Missouri, born in 1890 and gone in 1974. There isn't a whole lot of information about him left behind, which is a shame. Thankfully, John Hartford had the good sense to turn on his Wollensak and record him in 1958.

The more I listen to Mr. Alexander, the more I hear something that reminds me of Roy Wooliver. There's nothing polished or precious about the playing. It's raw, rhythmic, and completely unapologetic. Just a fiddler playing a tune the way he knew how to play it.

And his repertoire is a good reminder that these old Missouri fiddlers weren't nearly as concerned with the boundaries we've put around "old-time music" today. Popular tunes, dance tunes, hornpipes, local tunes and anything else worth playing all had a place.

That's one of the things I love about these old tapes. You don't just hear the tune. You hear the fiddler at oftentimes their most comfortable.

I've included the recording below for anyone who wants to spend a little time with Walter Alexander.

DOWNLOAD THE WALTER ALEXANDER RECORDING HERE

As always, this is shared freely as an educational resource and a way to help keep this music accessible. Please don't use the recording commercially.

If you know anything about Walter Alexander, his family, or these recordings, I'd love to hear from you. There's always another piece of the puzzle hiding somewhere.

I also dug a little deeper into Walter Alexander and the story behind these recordings on the latest episode of my podcast, Broken Bow Tapes.

Thanks for listening.

John P. Williams