Category: Music

Senator Robert Byrd Played Fiddle On Hee Haw

Byrd Fiddle Many people remember Robert Byrd as a Senator from West Virginia. He served in the U.S. Senate from 1959 to 2010, making him the longest serving Senator in U.S. history. And that is not counting his earlier service in the House of Representatives from 1953 until 1959. But did you know at one time he played a mean fiddle, including a performance on Hee Haw?

Byrd was born in North Carolina on November 20, 1917, and he died while still in office on June 28, 1910. His long service made him the last Congressman to have served while Harry S. Truman was president. Although he had filibustered against the 1964 Civil Rights Act (and earlier been a member of the Ku Klux Klan), he later publicly changed his position on civil rights. And although he had supported the Vietnam War, he received attention near the end of his career as a Republican who strongly opposed the Iraq War.

Byrd also was a fiddle player. He played square dances as a teen and played until 1982 when a benign hand tremor affected his playing. After becoming Senator, he made several appearances with his fiddle, including the Kennedy Center, the Grand Ole Opry, and Hee Haw.

Byrd played fiddle and sang the traditional song “The Roving Gambler” on a 1979 episode of Hee Haw. Unfortunately, that episode is not currently available on YouTube, but in the below video he performs on Pop Goes the Country.

In 1978, the Senate Majority Leader also recorded an album. Appropriately, it was titled, U.S. Senator Robert Byrd: Mountain Fiddler (1978).

Below from the album is “Come Sundown,” which was written by Kris Kristofferson and made famous by Bobby Bare.

Who is your favorite performer who recorded as a secondary career? Leave your two cents in the comments. Portrait of Senate Majority Leader Robert Byrd by Michael Shane Neal via public domain.

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    The Uncommon Champion of the Common Man: Henry Wallace

    VP Wallace Henry Agard Wallace was born on a farm in Iowa on October 7, 1888. His father Henry Cantwell Wallace would serve as Secretary of Agriculture in the administrations of Warren G. Harding and Calvin Coolidge. But the son would surpass his father to become a leading figure of the 1930s and 1940s, even if many do not remember him today.

    Henry A. Wallace served as Vice President of the United States (1941–1945), Secretary of Agriculture (1933–1940), and Secretary of Commerce (1945–1946). After serving in those offices, he helped found the Progressive Party and served as its presidential nominee in the 1948 presidential election.

    Wallace was controversial at the time for many of his views. Although he was serving as Franklin D. Roosevelt’s vice president at the time, during the 1944 Democratic National Convention, the convention attendees through a manipulated process replaced him on the ticket with Harry S. Truman in what some have called a “coup.” Of course, had Wallace stayed on the ticket with Roosevelt, he would have gone on to be president instead of Truman when Roosevelt died.

    His later candidacy for president in 1948 included many positions ahead of their time. The Progressive Party platform promoted universal health insurance, voting rights for African-Americans, an end to the Cold War, and an end to segregation. But Wallace was hurt because the Communist Party endorsed him, and he only received 2.4% of the popular vote.

    Many critics argue that Wallace would not have been a good president because of his idealism and some other views. But most agree some of his most important work was in the area of agricultural science, not politics. His work led to a breeding chicken that that at one point supplied most of the world’s eggs.

    “Wallace ’48”

    Still, many look back fondly on his idealism and his hopes for a different world, wondering what might have been. For example, many historians conclude that he would not have used the atomic bombs on Japan.

    The band The Hangdogs in recent years wrote and recorded the song “Wallace ’48” in tribute to the man. One may wonder that if Wallace had this catchy song for his presidential campaign as “the uncommon champion of the common man,” might history have been different.

    The Hangdogs, unfortunately, are no longer together. But the New York-based country band made some great music worth checking out.  Also, heycmdrcody recently did an interesting interview with the band’s Matthew Grimm about the history of the band.

    As for Henry Wallace, he died on November 18, 1965. He was a complex man, in more ways than can be summarized in a song or a short post. But his complexity, such as the fact that he later supported Richard Nixon for president, is all the more reason to learn more about him.

    Photo of Henry Wallace via public domain. Leave your two cents in the comments.

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    Sam Cooke: “Blowin’ in the Wind”

    Blowin Wind

    Sam Cooke, who was born on January 22, 1931, was one of the century’s greatest singer-songwriters.  He also was an electric performer, and while there are not many videos of him singing live available on YouTube, the one below captures him singing Bob Dylan’s “Blowin’ in the Wind.”

    Not surprisingly, Cooke puts his own stamp on Dylan’s song.  Check it out.

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    Marty Brown: “American Highway”

    Marty Brown

    Singer-songwriter and former America’s Got Talent star Marty Brown is preparing some new music for release.  One of his newest tracks is “American Highway,” just in time for Independence Day.

    The song by the Kentucky country singer captures images of small-town America. Below, Brown performs “American Highway” on WoodSongs Old-Time Radio Hour.  Check it out.

    Brown has been working on a new album, which will feature “American Highway.” The new songs feature lyrics written by Brown and music written by Jon Tiven, who also plays guitar on the album.

    For tour and other information, see Marty Brown’s website.

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    Dwight, Lucinda, and Steve: “Dim Lights, Thick Smoke (and Loud, Loud Music)”

    Loud Smoke

    Dwight Yoakam recently posted a video of a rehearsal of “Dim Lights, Thick Smoke (and Loud, Loud Music).” Yoakam is currently touring with Steve Earle and Lucinda Williams. So, the two join in for a rousing rendition of the song.

    Yoakam, Earle, Williams and the band jam on the song with the band in the dressing room before their show, which is part of their “LSD Tour.” Check it out.

    “Dim Lights, Loud Smoke (and Loud, Loud Music)” goes back many decades. Joe Maphis, Rose Lee Maphis and Max Fidler wrote the song, which was first recorded in 1952 by Flatt & Scruggs.

    The video is by Emily Joyce Photography. Leave your two cents in the comments.

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