Play Me Something Quick and Devilish: Old-Time Fiddlers in Missouri

This monumental 400-page look at the history of fiddlers and fiddling in Missouri spans old-time, bluegrass, African American, French, Spanish, and American Indian influences. Arranged chronologically, this history takes readers from the Old French District around St. Louis in the 1700s to the dawn of ragtime with Scott Joplin and includes 21st-century fiddlers along the way. Marshall defines styles (old-time, North Missouri, Ozark, jigbone, bluegrass, Little Dixie, and more) and includes a wealth of history on cultural (not just musical) traditions, e.g., Lewis and Clark, prairie life, amusements during slavery, and German American waltzes. Marshall looks at all aspects of fiddling, including the role played by Charles Ingalls, father of Little House on the Prairie's Laura Ingalls Wilder, while they lived in Missouri. A wide variety of black-and-white photos, posters for performances, maps, and sheet music are included.