20 in Mind. They Convinced Themselves That They Could Make Records Playing Fiddle Tunes

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20 in mind. They convinced themselves that they could make records playing fiddle tunes. The two planned to convince the Victor Talking Machine Company of the same thing. On June 20, 1922, the two fiddlers got their wish, cutting four songs. The two that Victor released, "Sallie Goodin" and "Arkansas Traveler," may be the first country songs played by Southern musicians ever to be offered for sale." Robertson probably made quite an impression on New York, as photographs show him clad cowboy style in a Stetson hat, neckerchief, vest, and shirtsleeves. Okeh Records, a company based in New York, sent their field scout, Ralph Peer, to Atlanta in 1923 to record local talent for possible release. While conducting the field recording sessions, he recorded two old-time fiddle tunes played and sung by a local fiddle champion, "Fiddlin'" John Carson. Peer did not expect the recordings of "The Little Old Log Cabin in the Lane," and "The Old Hen Cackled and the Rooster's Going to Crow," to sell nationally, so he had only enough discs pressed to stock the shelves of local Atlanta record dealers. In an instance of perfect timing, the record order arrived in Atlanta the day of a big fiddle contest, which Carson won. This victory allowed him to advertise the record from stage, and all five hundred copies sold on the first day. Victor pressed a second order immediately. 12 Carson, who often performed with his daughter "Moonshine Kate," eventually became known for his boisterous singing style as well as his fiddling. As previously stated, Ralph Peer pronounced Carson's loud, nasal singing "pluperfect awful," but their comedy skits in which they portrayed a mountain moonshiner and his daughter, proved to be some of the earliest examples of what would become a permanent marriage between comedy and country music. 13.

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