Welcome to Barefoot Pete's Fiddle & Old Time Music Links. My main musical interest is old time fiddle music. Here are some links to sites about old time fiddling which I've found interesting:

Old Time Fiddlers
Fiddle Contests and Old Time Music Festivals
Fiddle Associations
Fiddle Publications
Fiddle Tune Database
Online Sheet Music and Midi Files
Fiddle Camps and Workshops
Music Stores
Other Old Time Music Links

Email me and let me know if you know some sites you think I should include.

Old Time Fiddlers

Charlie Acuff A great old time fiddler you can see at the Museum of Appalachia in Norris, Tennessee. No, the picture's not backwards, he really is playing left-handed.

J. P. Fraley He's my favorite fiddler and he's also a great story teller. J. P. has a great festival at Carter Caves State Park in Kentucky the first weekend in September after labor day. Check out the festival web site. If you go, tell them Barefoot Pete sent you.

Clyde Davenport Fiddle and Banjo Player from south-central Kentucky

Luther Davis Fiddler from Grayson County, Virginia

John Hartford John was a great old time fiddler. I always enjoyed seeing him. He studied with many of the masters of old time fiddling in an effort to document and preserve the art of old time fiddling. The John Hartford site has a nice memorial to John and Marie. It's great site with tons of information, spend some time and explore the site. There's a selection of fiddle tunes that he has written and/or transcribed with fine calligraphy and with links to take you to a graphic of the sheet music.

Tommy Jarrel A legendary fiddler from the Mt. Airy, NC area.

Melvin Wine Sweet music from a sweet person.

Fiddle Contests & Old Time Music Festivals

Barefoot Pete's Picks

Old Time Fiddler's and Bluegrass Festival This festival at Fiddler's Grove Campground in Union Grove, North Carolina, is one of the best festivals I've ever been too. You'll hear old time and bluegrass music the way it's supposed to sound. The Van Hoy's will make you feel at home with their friendly hospitality. It's kind of like a huge family reunion. Plan to be there next Memorial Day weekend.

Fraley Family Mountain Music Festival The first weekend In September following labor day. Carter Caves State Resort Park near Olive Hill, KY. Concerts and workshops. Meet J. P. Fraley and lots of really nice people. This is one festival you won't want to miss.

Tennessee Fall Homecoming Festival at the Museum of Appalachia in Norris, TN second weekend of October. Huge festival with some of the best entertainment anywhere. It's worth going to just to meet legendary old time fiddler Charley Acuff.

Florida Old Time Music Championships: One of my favorite festivals, it's extremely rare for me to miss this one. Late March or early April, dates vary so check their website.

Other fine festivals

National Oldtime Fiddlers Contest, Weiser, Idaho

Walnut Valley Festival, Winfield, Kansas.

Fiddle Associations

Florida State Fiddlers Association: Good times with good people, a great combination. They have an annual fiddler's convention.

Fiddle Publications

Fiddler Magazine is a great source for information on all styles of fiddling. Old time fiddling is featured on a regular basis. Recent interviews include people like J. P. Fraley and Ralph Blizzard. They also have some great videos available for sale. This is a magazine I can highly recommend.

Fiddle Tune Database

The Fiddler's Companion is a huge encyclopedia of fiddle tunes from the Celtic, British and American traditions. Most tunes contain references to published or recorded versions. This database contains somewhere in the order of 50,000 entries.

Online Sheet Music & Midi Files

Hetzler's Fakebook Visit Ed Hetzler's web site for a great selection of online sheet music and midi files of old-time and Celtic fiddle tunes. It's really a great resource for fiddlers. He's got a bunch of my favorite tunes!

Fiddle Camps & Workshops

Augusta Heritage Center, Elkins, W VA. A different style of music is featured each week. Other classes available include fiddle repair, bow construction, all types of singing and dancing, arts, crafts, etc., there's too much going on at this place to list here.

Ashokan Fiddle & Dance Camps This one is operated by Jay Unger and Molly Mason. Jay wrote Ashokan Farewell and many other most excellent tunes.

Fiddlers Dream Retreats, Carter County, KY. Fiddle workshops at the home of the legendary J. P. Fraley. For information about this wonderful opportunity to learn fiddling from J. P. Fraley. Phone (606) 286-4411, tell them Barefoot Pete sent you.

Sunshine State Music Camp My buddy Charley Groth has been putting on a great weekend music camp each year in October in St. Petersburg, FL. Learn anything you want about old-time music. Workshops include fiddle, banjo, singing...too many to mention all of them here. Check out Charley's website for more information.

Music Stores

Celestial Mountain Music Brevard, NC. A great store with just about anything you'd ever need. Stop in some time and say "Hi" to my friends Lo & Mary Gordon, tell them Barefoot Pete sent you.

Other Old Time Music Links

Old Time Music on the WEB, a bunch of interesting old time music links.

The American Folklife Center of the Library of Congress