Bob Holt was an American

fiddle A fiddle is a Bow (music), bowed String instrument, string musical instrument, most often a violin or a bass. It is a colloquial term for the violin, used by players in all genres, including European classical music, classical music. Althou ...

r, playing old-time and for

square dance A square dance is a dance for four couples, or eight dancers in total, arranged in a square, with one couple on each side, facing the middle of the square. Square dances are part of a broad spectrum of dances known by various names: country dan ...

s. He was known for his lightning-fast, energetic style of playing. He played his signature song "Ninth of January" at as much as 144 beats per minute while playing for dances. He was born on November 25, 1930, in

Ava Ava or AVA may refer to: Places Asia and Oceania * Ava Kingdom, in upper Burma from 1364 to 1555 ** Inwa, formerly Ava, the capital of Ava Kingdom ** Earl of Ava, a British colonial earldom in Burma * Ava, Iran, Gilan Province, a village * Iva ...

, Douglas County,

Missouri Missouri (''see #Etymology and pronunciation, pronunciation'') is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it border ...

. He died March 19, 2004, in Ava. Holt was a recipient of a 1999

National Heritage Fellowship The National Heritage Fellowship is a lifetime honor presented to master folk and traditional artists by the National Endowment for the Arts. Similar to Japan's Living National Treasure award, the Fellowship is the United States government's h ...

in the amount of $10,000 from the

National Endowment for the Arts The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) is an independent agency of the United States federal government that offers support and funding for projects exhibiting artistic excellence. It was created in 1965 as an independent agency of the feder ...

, which is the United States' highest honor in the folk and traditional arts.

Recordings

* ''Rabbit in the Pea Patch'' (cassette tape) * ''The Way I Heard It'' (cassette tape) * ''Got a Little Home to Go To

Rounder, 1998 CD 0432 He appears on: * ''Jump Fingers'', a tape by the Childgrove Country Dancers. * ''Face the Creek'', a CD produced by the Childgrove Country Dancers. * ''Traditional Fiddle Music of the Ozarks: Volume I: Along the Eastern Crescent'', Rounder, 1999 (CDROUN0435 / 018964443528) * ''North American Traditions: The Art of Traditional Fiddle'

Rounder, 1999

References

External links

Library of Congress-local legacies

20th-century American fiddlers 21st-century American fiddlers People from Ava, Missouri Musicians from Missouri 1930 births 2004 deaths Old-time fiddlers National Heritage Fellowship winners Rounder Records artists {{US-violinist-stub