A longtime musician and proponent of the art of old-time fiddling, Fulton resident Howard Marshall has written a book on the history of his favorite pastime.
Marshall will give a live performance and reading of selections from "Play Me Something Quick and Devilish: Old-Time Fiddlers in Missouri" during a special program at 7 p.m. Thursday night at the Missouri State Archives, located at 600 W. Main St. in Jefferson City. He also will share his decades of research during a smiliar performance at 7 p.m. on March 7 at the Callaway County Public Library in Fulton. The Fulton program is sponsored by the library and the Kingdom of Callaway Historical Society.
"I've been interested in traditional fiddle music all my life," Marshall said of his decision to put that passion for music into print. "I've played the fiddle for around 40 years and I have written other things about Missouri fiddling - articles and a number of recordings. This seemed like the logical next step."
He said "Play Me Something Quick and Devilish" "pertains to what I call the first half of the story" of Missouri fiddling, covering the time period from the first European settlers during the late 1700s to World War I and the 1920s.