Fiddlin' Powers and Family was a Virginia

string band A string band is an old-time music or jazz ensemble made up mainly or solely of string instruments. String bands were popular in the 1920s and 1930s, and are among the forerunners of modern country music and bluegrass. While being active count ...

from the 1920s, considered pioneers in early

country music Country (also called country and western) is a popular music, music genre originating in the southern regions of the United States, both the American South and American southwest, the Southwest. First produced in the 1920s, country music is p ...

.Scott County Historical Society, Scott County, Virginia, Scrapbook Memories,Mildred McConnell's Scrapbook Articles
/ref> They were the first family string band to make a commercial record (1924). The band consisted of Cowan Powers and his children, Charles, Orpha, Carrie and Ada. Cowan also played with his wife, Matilda, until her death in 1916.

A career

Recording

Record companies of the time were trying to get " old time" or "hill country" music to sell, and tried using professional musicians such as

Vernon Dalhart Marion Try Slaughter (April 6, 1883 – September 14, 1948), better known by his stage name Vernon Dalhart, was an American country music singer and songwriter. His recording of the classic ballad " Wreck of the Old 97" was the first country son ...

to imitate the sound. When it became clear the customers wanted the "real thing" the companies sought musicians to travel from the south to the recording studios in New York and Chicago. The Powers family, who were based in

Scott County Scott County is the name of eleven counties in the United States of America: *Scott County, Arkansas *Scott County, Illinois *Scott County, Indiana *Scott County, Iowa, the most populous county on the list *Scott County, Kansas, the least populous ...

Southwest Virginia Southwest Virginia, often abbreviated as SWVA, is a mountainous region of Virginia in the westernmost part of the commonwealth. Located within the broader region of western Virginia, Southwest Virginia has been defined alternatively as all V ...

, made records with

Victor Talking Machine Company The Victor Talking Machine Company was an American recording company and phonograph manufacturer, incorporated in 1901. Victor was an independent enterprise until 1929 when it was purchased by the Radio Corporation of America (RCA) and became ...

Edison Records Edison Records was one of the early record labels that pioneered sound recording and reproduction, and was an important and successful company in the early recording industry. The first phonograph cylinders were manufactured in 1888, followed by ...

and

Okeh Records OKeh Records () is an American record label founded by the Otto Heinemann Phonograph Corporation, a phonograph supplier established in 1916, which branched out into phonograph records in 1918. The name originally was spelled "OkeH" from the init ...

. They recorded at least 26 songs, of which 15 were issued.Fiddlin' Powers and Family
/ref> Their recording of ''

Old Joe Clark "Old Joe Clark" is a US folk song, a mountain ballad that was popular among soldiers from eastern Kentucky during World War I and afterwards. Its lyrics refer to a real person named Joseph Clark, a Kentucky mountaineer who was born in 1839 and murd ...

'' in 1924 was the third best selling album for that year.

Live performances

They performed live in "the Carolinas, Virginia, West Virginia, Kentucky, and perhaps a dozen other states". They played dances. At the time of the

Bristol Sessions The Bristol Sessions were a series of recording sessions held in 1927 in Bristol, Tennessee, considered by some as the "Big Bang" of modern country music. The recordings were made by Victor Talking Machine Company producer Ralph Peer. Bristol ...

they were performing live over the radio, WOPI in Bristol, Virginia, and were among the first country acts to do so.

The band resurrected

The daughters restarted the band in the 1970s, with Orpha's husband Eugene D. Ireson.

Recording history

Victor 1924

The Powers family did a trial recording with Victor Recordings in New York City, August 8, 1924, recording ''Way Down to Georgia''.Country Music Records : A Discography, 1921-1942: A Discography, 1921-1942 By Tony Russell, Bob Pinson pages 703-704
/ref> They started recording records for Victor, doing six records 10 days later on August 18. Of those recordings, three records were issued, ''The Little Old Log Cabin in the Lane'', ''Old Joe Clark'', and ''Sour Wood Mountains''. They continued recording the next day, August 19. They recorded eleven songs of which five were issued, ''Patty on the Turnpike'', ''Callahan's Reel'', ''Sugar in the Gourd'', ''Cripple Creek'', and ''Ida Red''.

Edison 1925

The family recorded with Edison in 1925, October 2, 3, 6 and 7 in New York City. Seven of the nine that they recorded were issued, ''Old Joe Clark'', ''Sour Wood Mountains'', ''Ida Red'', ''Cripple Creek'', ''Cluck Old Hen'', ''Rocky Road to Dinah's House'', and ''Sugar in the Gourd''. Charlie Powers, Cowan's son, also recorded a song on his own with Edison, ''Wild and Reckless Hobo''.

Okeh 1927

The last recording session was for Okeh records in Winston–Salem, North Carolina, September 28, 1927. Within three years the band would be no more, as the girls married and began families. They recorded six songs, of which four were issued, ''Did You Ever See the Devil, Uncle Joe?'', ''Old Molly Hair'', ''Old Virginia Reel — Part 1'', and ''Old Virginia Reel — Part 2''.

Ukulele in old-time music

There has been some speculation as to the origin of the

ukulele The ukulele ( ; ); also called a uke (informally), is a member of the lute (ancient guitar) family of instruments. The ukulele is of Portuguese origin and was popularized in Hawaii. The tone and volume of the instrument vary with size and con ...

in old time music.''Just a Few Penny Dreadfuls, Ukulele and Old–Time Country Music'', by Rev and Deb Porter, article in ''The Old Time Herald'', Volume 9, Number Five, Fall 2004, Pages 19-22.
/ref> Those who are fans have pointed out stars who used the instrument, including Fiddlin' Powers and Family, Da Costa Woltz's Southern Broadcasters, Ernest V. Stoneman, Walter Smith and Friends, The Blankenship Family, The Hillbillies, The Hilltop Singers, and

Jimmie Rodgers James Charles Rodgers ( – ) was an American singer, songwriter, and musician who rose to popularity in the late 1920s. Widely regarded as the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Father of Country Music", he is best known for his di ...

. When Ada Powers took up the ukulele in the 20s, there was a craze for

Hawaiian music The music of Hawaii includes an array of traditional and popular styles, ranging from native Hawaiian folk music to modern rock and hip hop. Styles like slack-key guitar are well known worldwide, while Hawaiian-tinged music is a frequent par ...

on the national scene, which had young people taking up the instrument. Also there was sheet music being produced for the ukulele, which has been speculatively called a reason that many rural people took up the instrument. Ada Powers was the Ukulele player in ''Fiddlin' Powers and Family''. Her playing can be heard on their music, especially ''The Virginia Reel, part 1'' in which all the family members had solos.

References

External links

Recordings

Online recording, ''The Virginia Reel, Part 1'', where each member of the family can be heard playing individually

Online recording, the family playing together, ''The Virginia Reel, Part II''
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