tiquose - Posted - 04/01/2008:  18:57:52

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Howard Marshall (Timberhill here at Fiddle Hangout) has posted an announcement of the passing of Missouri fiddler Nile Wilson at age 95:

fiddle.missouri.org/?p=53#more-53

Janet
"Curiosity killed the cat but satisfaction brought it back." -my grandmother, Bertha Morgan Nelson

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Edited by - tiquose on 04/01/2008 21:33:40

bsed - Posted - 04/01/2008:  19:15:33

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I'm sorry to hear that. I have the CD he made & there are some great tunes on there. One tune that I'm not sure if it's on the CD or not (it's not within arm's reach) is Tie Hacker #2, key of C. In fact it'd be fair to say this is one of my all-time favorite C-tunes! It has some distinctive bowing motions I don't think you'll find in too many (if any) other tunes. Thanks Nile!

Just call me Dwight.

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Edited by - bsed on 04/01/2008 19:16:09

tiquose - Posted - 04/01/2008:  19:27:15

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CD Baby carries the CD, Tie Hacker Hoedown, and Tiehacker Tune #2 is on it. That is not one of the tunes available for preview, though.

Janet
"Curiosity killed the cat but satisfaction brought it back." -my grandmother, Bertha Morgan Nelson

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bsed - Posted - 04/01/2008:  20:02:34

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It's so much fun to play, maybe I'll post if I get a spare moment this week.

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Edited by - bsed on 04/01/2008 20:03:36

Groucho Marx - Posted - 04/08/2008:  00:30:29

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fiddle.missouri.org/?page_id=6&person=28

There's more to read about Nile Wilson at the link above, as well as a clip of him playing "Tie Hacker No. 1."

-Clifford

"That, which thy fathers bequeathed thee, earn anew, if thou wilt possess it."
-Goethe, Faust

OTJunky - Posted - 04/08/2008:  07:51:06

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As an aside, I think folklore has it that the "TieHackers" were itinerant railroad workers who came for the SouthEast to help build the railroad through Missouri - and brought some fiddlers and some fiddle tunes with them.

--OTJ
"I can barely fiddle on four strings. Why would I want five?"

robbin - Posted - 04/09/2008:  21:56:42

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THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR COMMENTS. IT'S NICE TO SEE ALL THE PEOPLE'S LIVES THAT HE'S TOUCHED.
ROBBIN WILSON, NILE'S GRANDSON

Brendan Doyle - Posted - 04/10/2008:  07:41:44

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quote:

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Originally posted by robbin

THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR COMMENTS. IT'S NICE TO SEE ALL THE PEOPLE'S LIVES THAT HE'S TOUCHED.
ROBBIN WILSON, NILE'S GRANDSON

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I saw Nile at the Festival of American Fiddle Tunes in Port Townsend, WA some years ago. I went to several of his workshops (as well as his concert sets) there, and found him very personable, and full of wonderful tunes and stories (when Charlie Walden would let him get a word in edgewise). I only wish that they had had him back again! I play several of Nile's tunes, as do many of my musical friends around the country. Nile will be missed and remembered fondly by many.


Brendan

tiquose - Posted - 04/10/2008:  12:49:51

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Robbin, how nice of you to join us. Would you by any chance have any photos of Nile that you could post on your homepage?

Janet
"Curiosity killed the cat but satisfaction brought it back." -my grandmother, Bertha Morgan Nelson

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timberhill - Posted - 04/12/2008:  02:28:53

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Re: Nile Wilson.... So neat to see comments about Nile, and the post from his grandson Robbin. My quick memorial piece (obituary) on Nile is at missouri.fiddle.org, and was posted to Fiddle-L, and I'm working on a story about Nile's life and music, the fiddling tiehackers in north Missouri after the Civil War (many of whom were actually Union veterans from Indiana and Illinois, as much as they were ex-Confederates from the South, from elsewhere in Mo., and from Ireland), his repertoire and general style (central Mo.), etc. -- the article will be in the Old Time Herald probably in the fall or winter (if the creek don't rise and the snakes don't get too bad).
Cheers to all Nile Wilson fans from Howard Marshall in Fulton Missouri (and, yes, I do know how to use a broad axe to hew railroad ties).

timberhill - Posted - 08/05/2008:  20:02:40

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Hi folks, regarding the late Nile Wilson:

The new August-September 2008 issue of Old-Time Herald magazine features a substantial article on the late Nile Wilson of Bucklin. The article is richly illustrated and contains transcriptions of two of Wilson's fiddle tunes. I believe that the magazine website will eventually feature uploaded home recordings made by Marshall of Wilson's fiddling.
Cheers, Rusty

Eric Sprado - Posted - 08/06/2008:  15:49:55

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Tie hackers actually made hand hewn railroad ties with a broad axe. In Bondurant Wyoming, where I cowboyed in the mountains during Summer grazing,they would hew ties all Winter then float them down to a spot where a sale to the Railroad could be made in the Spring. I bought a log home once that had belonged to a tie hack. He had hewed all the inside walls flat in his "spare time". Just a bit of trivia.....Eric Sprado

stear - Posted - 03/13/2009:  07:47:35

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Thought I would post this for the fun of it. This is Christopher Wilson, Nile's Grandson. I happened to go to an open mic here in New York a week ago and two gentelmen played a song "billy in the lowground" and dedicated it to the late Nile Wilson. It took my breath from me, afterwards I introduced myself. Grandpa will be gone one year this March 21st. I wish he were still around to share his gift and to know that one of his grandsons followed in his footsteps (so to speak). Thanks to everyone for remembering him, those near and far. I often wonder if he even knew how many his music touched.
Many Blessings
Chris

M-D - Posted - 03/13/2009:  09:01:46

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Nice post, Chris. Thanks.

_________________________________________________________________

M-D

Old-Time, All the Time

Music is found in the space between the notes -- in the silence between the chords. Get your spaces right, and you''ve got it. ~ Albert Greenfield

tiquose - Posted - 03/13/2009:  14:42:02

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Your grandfather is a hero to many of us, Chris. I'm so glad you're here and found the topic. Hope to hear more from you.

Did you get to spend much time with your grandfather and his fiddle?

Janet
"Curiosity killed the cat but satisfaction brought it back." -my grandmother, Bertha Morgan Nelson

stear - Posted - 11/22/2009:  06:33:36

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Dear Janet,

Spent some time with Grandpa. I play Piano. He always teased me that I could not hear the fiddle chords the way he did. I have his old fiddle, and it makes my dogs scream when I try to play.