Twelve years after the end of the Civil War, a firebrand preacher and his young wife in the backwood wilds of Madison County welcomed their fourth child and third son into the world on November 20, 1887 in the small community of Delaney.
While Delaney today is a relatively forgotten remnant in the history of Madison County and Arkansas, in 1969 when James Leander “J. L.” Robertson came to Arkansas at the age if seventeen it was turning into a thriving lumber town in the White River.
James had already served as a regiment drummer for a Tennessee Infantry squad, He married at the age of eighteen but lost his first wife after less than a year. The young widower, who became a lay preacher shortly after his first wife's death, remarried at age 21 to a local girl, Mary Jane Reed and the union would eventually produce ten children, the final six being born in the state of Texas.
The fourth child, Alexander Campbell “Eck” Robertson, was born on November 20, 1887, in Delaney, Arkansas, is celebrated as one of the pioneering figures in country music. His journey from birth in a small town in Arkansas to becoming a legendary fiddler is a story of talent, innovation, and dedication.
Eck Robertson’s early years were spent in the Texas Panhandle, where his family moved when he was just three years old. Growing up in a musical family, Eck was surrounded by the sounds of fiddles, banjos, and guitars.
His fathe and his uncles were all skilled fiddlers who competed in local contests. By the age of five, Eck had already begun learning to play the fiddle, and his passion for music only grew from there.
At the age of 16, Eck decided to pursue a career in music. He left home to travel with a medicine show through Indian Territory, honing his skills and gaining valuable performance experience.
Robertson’s big break came in 1922 when he traveled to New York City with fellow fiddler Henry C. Gilliland. They auditioned for the Victor Talking Machine Company and secured a recording contract.
On June 30, 1922, they recorded four fiddle duets, marking the first commercial recordings of country music performers. The following day, Eck recorded six additional sides solo, including the now-classic “Sallie Gooden,” which showcased his ability to interpret a traditional fiddle tune with multiple variations.
Robertson. along with Gilliland, became not only the first country music performer to be recorded commercially, but the first country artist to ever sell a record as well.
He and his wife Nettie competed in fiddling contests, and later they performed as a family band with their two children, playing on the radio and at dances, competitions and festivals. They also recorded more songs for Victor.
He was billed as the "World's Famous Cowboy Fiddler.” Advertisements for his shows referred to him as a “Victor Record and Radio Artist,” and promised “Old Time Melodies, Trick and Stunt Fiddling, Singing and Dancing.”
Apparently, he didn’t disappoint. Eck turned somersaults while playing his fiddle, played it behind his back, and could toss the instrument into the air during a song and catch it without missing a beat.
he week of September 20, 1940, Robertson recorded 100 fiddle tunes at Jack Sellers Studios in Dallas, Texas. Unfortunately, there is no song listing from these sessions, and none of the tunes have ever surfaced. Robertson continued to perform extensively at dances, theaters, fiddlers' conventions and on radio.
In 1963 ,producers John Cohen, Mike Seeger and Tracy Schwarz visited Robertson at his home in Amarillo, Texas and taped some of his music, which was released on County Records as 'Eck Robertson, Famous Cowboy Fiddler'.
Robertson appeared at the UCLA Folk Festival in 1964, and at the Newport Folk Festival in 1965, accompanied by the New Lost City Ramblers.
Robertson played for over eighty years, in a career that spanned from music’s earliest recordings to a performance at the Newport Folk Festival in 1965. He’s considered one of the greatest folk fiddlers of all time, and is one of the originators of Texas-style fiddling. Up until his death in 1975, at age eighty-eight, he was never without the instrument that had brought him so much joy.
Eck Robertson’s recordings were groundbreaking and set the stage for the future of country music. Despite the limited promotion of his records, Eck’s influence on country music was profound, inspiring countless musicians who followed in his footsteps.
He passed away on February 15, 1975, in Borger, Texas, was interred at the Westlawn Memorial Park Cemetery in Hutchison County, Texas. but his legacy lives on. In recognition of his contributions,. . His gravestone is inscribed, “World Champion Fiddle Player”.
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