Paul Warren (fiddler)

Paul Warren (May 17, 1918 –January 12, 1978) was an American fiddle player best known for his work on a number of Kitty Wells singles, and his long tenure with Flatt and Scruggs and the Foggy Mountain Boys.[2]

Paul Warren
BornMay 17, 1918[1]
Lyles, Tennessee, U.S.
DiedJanuary 12, 1978(1978-01-12) (aged 59)[1]
GenresBluegrass
Occupation(s)Bluegrass artist
Instrument(s)Fiddle
Years active1933-1977

Biography

Warren was born in Lyles, Tennessee to a father who played guitar and banjo, and a mother who played clawhammer banjo.[3]

Warren's fiddling style was heavily influenced by Fiddlin' Arthur Smith, with whom he played extensively offstage. In 1933, Warren joined Johnny & Jack and the Tennessee Mountain Boys, with whom he appeared regularly on the Grand Ole Opry.[3][2] During that time he recorded a number of sides with Kitty Wells, including It Wasn't God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels and Release Me.[3]

He joined Flatt and Scruggs and the Foggy Mountain Boys in 1954, after fifteen years with the Tennessee Mountain Boys. As a member of that band, he was often called upon in concert segments featuring traditional fiddle tunes, including a number of the Arthur Smith tunes which had been recorded by Flatt and Scruggs, such as "Pig in the Pen".[2][4]

When Flatt and Scruggs broke up in 1969, Warren decided to stay with Lester Flatt's band.[5] In 1978 CMH Records released America's Greatest Breakdown Fiddler, credited to ''Paul Warren with Lester Flatt & the Nashville Grass''.[6][7]

Legacy

Warren helped perpetuate the old-time fiddle style typified by Arthur Smith, and has been cited by a number of musicians as an influence, including fiddler Andrea Zonn and mandolin player Roland White.[8][6] His son Johnny Warren continues to play his repertoire. In 2009 and 2011, Johnny recorded two albums featuring noted bluegrass musicians, A Tribute to Fiddlin' Paul Warren Vols. 1 and 2 on which he played tunes for which is father was well known.

Awards and honors

Warren was inducted into the Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame in 2013.[3]

References
  1. Hillbilly-Music.com. "Paul Warren". www.hillbilly-music.com. Retrieved August 24, 2023.
  2. Wolfe, Charles K. (1997). The devil's box : masters of southern fiddling. Internet Archive. Nashville : Country Music Foundation Press : Vanderbilt University Press. p. 139. ISBN 978-0-8265-1283-3.
  3. "Paul Warren - Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame & Museum". June 8, 2018. Retrieved August 24, 2023.
  4. Rosenberg, Neil V. (1993). Bluegrass : a history. Internet Archive. Urbana : University of Illinois Press. pp. 240–41. ISBN 978-0-252-06304-6.
  5. Artis, Bob (1975). Bluegrass : from the lonesome wail of a mountain love song to the hammering drive of the Scruggs-style banjo, the story of an American musical tradition. Internet Archive. New York : Hawthorn Books. p. 56. ISBN 978-0-8015-0758-8.
  6. Thompson, Richard (April 6, 2022). "Roland White remembered – his life in music". Bluegrass Today. Retrieved August 24, 2023.
  7. "Paul Warren - America's Greatest Breakdown Fiddler". allmusic.com. Retrieved August 24, 2023.
  8. Tichi, Cecelia (1994). High Lonesome: The American Culture of Country Music. UNC Press Books. pp. 235–36. ISBN 978-0-8078-4608-7.
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