Vesta Johnson - "Down Home Rag" | Vesta Johnson (feat. Bob Bovee) | Missouri State Old Time Fiddlers Association

Vesta Johnson - "Down Home Rag"

by Vesta Johnson (feat. Bob Bovee)

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Full Digital Discography

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Get all 69 Missouri State Old Time Fiddlers Association releases available on Bandcamp and save 65%.

Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality downloads of Pete McMahan - Concert at Bethel Fiddle Fest - 1989, Charlie Walden & John P. Williams | July 4th, 2013, Applebee, Walden, Griffin and Rose | LIVE at The Blue Note, 1987 Ozark Invitational Fiddle Contest | Mountain View Ozark Folk Center, Old-Time Fiddling from Western Canada, Jake Hockemeyer at KOPN | January 28th, 1984, Wheatland Music Festival - 1991, Francis Stevens | Callaway County Fiddler, and 61 more. , and , .

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1.	Robinson County 01:59	buy track
2.	Orvetta Waltz 02:44	buy track
3.	Waldo 02:14	buy track
4.	Fort Smith 02:35	buy track
5.	Snyder Waltz 02:42	buy track
6.	Down Home Rag 01:39	buy track
7.	Rickett's Hornpipe 02:17	buy track
8.	Black Velvet Waltz 02:44	buy track
9.	Hog House Rag 02:10	buy track
10.	Chicken Reel 00:44	buy track
11.	Whistling Rufus 02:27	buy track
12.	Over the Waves 02:39	buy track
13.	Adrian's Hornpipe 02:05	buy track
14.	Shamus O'Brien's Waltz 02:37	buy track
15.	Tennessee Wagoner 01:14	buy track
16.	Washington and Lee Swing 02:11	buy track
17.	Fat Meat and Dumplings 01:19	buy track
18.	Swedish Waltz 01:46	buy track
19.	Fiddler's Dream 01:40	buy track
20.	Eighth of January 01:06	buy track
21.	Bully of the Town 01:25	buy track
22.	Whiskey before Breakfast 01:27	buy track

about

Vesta Wilson Johnson is a well know old-time fiddler from St. Louis, Missouri, although she was born and raised in Linn County, Missouri, in the north central part of the state. She comes from a family of traditional musicians (both her parents were fiddlers) and she has been playing fiddle since childhood; she continues to pass along her loves and talent for the music to both her children and grandchildren, who play old-time music and also clog dance. Over the years Vesta has given tremendous support and help to many young fiddlers, graciously opening her home for jam sessions and friendly gatherings.

Vesta's playing includes many slide notes (she does all fourth-finger noting by sliding the third finger up the string) giving her a unique style and giving even the most common tunes a fresh approach. On this cassette she plays a number of pieces often heard in the Missouri area, but there are others such as Waldo, Down Home Rag, Orvetta Waltz, and Hog House Rag rarely heard from other fiddlers. Although Vesta and her husband Steve have lived in St. Louis for over forty years, Vesta says her musical influences mostly came from fiddlers from Linn County and the western part of the state.

Vesta can also be heard on the recording, "I'm Old But I'm Awfully Tough", an excellent field recording project of traditional music of the Ozark Mounts done by the Missouri Friends of the Folk Arts (M.F.F.A. 1001).

The recordings on this cassette were made in Vesta's home in Kirkwood, Missouri on December 26-27, 1987, with guitar backup by Bob Bovee.

- Gail Heil

_______

The above is the liner notes provided with the cassette published in 1988.

Vesta sadly passed away March 5th, 2021. Her impact in the Missouri fiddling community is just as present in 2023 as it was 30 years ago.

credits

released September 4, 2023

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Missouri State Old Time Fiddlers Association Missouri

The Missouri State Old Time Fiddlers Association works to promote and preserve the traditional fiddle music of Missouri and the surrounding region. Your purchase here supports those activities.

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