Gid Tanner

from http://www.bluegrassmessengers.com:

James Gideon “Gid” Tanner was born at Thomas Bridge, near Monroe, Georgia on June 6, 1885 and spent most of his adult life in Gwinnett County, where he made a living as a chicken farmer. His older brother Arthur played banjo and later recorded some with Gid. When he was fourteen his uncle died leaving Gid his fiddle. He soon learned to play the fiddle and became known in local circles for his prowess with the instrument. Tanner would play in front of stores downtown when the ground was too wet to cultivate.

After he married and settled down he moved to Dacula, Georgia in Gwinnett County. His wife, Alice, liked the playing of Earl Johnson, who studied violin and could read music. At one point she tried to get her husband to read music so he could play like Earl but her efforts were not successful. Tanner remained an old-time stylist whose personality made up for his technical shortcomings.

As a young man he was a regular participant at the Georgia Old-Time Fiddlers’ Conventions, held annually in Atlanta between 1913 and 1935. His name was registered in the 1913 competition though there is no record of him winning a prize. Tanner was again present when the fiddlers of Georgia convened at the Atlanta City Auditorium in 1915. A reporter at that year’s convention called him “Gwinnett County’s Laughing Rufus,” and when Tanner appeared on stage he used several different voices to advantage in two or three songs he made up himself. It is said that he got frequent requests for encores that displayed his fiddling and was often asked to perform imitations of people.”

Soon the competition between Tanner and three time winner Fiddlin’ John Carson was played-up in the local Atlanta press. Tanner was known among musicians and convention audiences as the most outrageous clown of all the fiddlers. Here’s an account of Tanner from Gene Wiggins in his book, Fiddlin’ Gone Crazy: “Looking and sounding funny was his specialty.  A big, roan-haired, ruddy-faced oaf, he had a deep bass and a high falsetto. He could throw his head back so far that he looked decapitated. He could turn it around almost completely, like an owl. He could thrust out his lower lip so as to give the impression of some sort of strange fish.”