Byard Ray Dozen Series

Late in 2019, one of Byard Ray’s old fiddles passed into my hands. Byard was fiddle teacher/inspiration to many in Yancey and Madison Counties, including my mom. Although I was too young to learn much from him directly, I heard him play a number times before he died and he gave me a rattlesnake rattle to put in my little fiddle. Byard had a bunch of cool old tunes and unique versions of standards, many of which he got from his great-uncle Mitch Wallin, JD Harris, Manco Sneed, and other fiddling elders in western NC. For three months I posted a new tune each week from his repertoire, all played on his old fiddle, sometimes joined by Rob McMaken and/or Tom Baker. This playlist on youtube collects the Byard Ray Dozen. It was a really fun project!

—Jason