In 1923 Fiddlin’ John Carson had a country hit with Little Log Cabin in the Lane.
In 1934 seventeen year old fiddler Forrest Delk, while returning from a rained out dance had to jump gullies to get home. From then on his band was called The Gully Jumpers.
In 2011 Joe Delk and his sons were recognized by the Western Swing Guild for their contributions to country music.
That’s 77 years of fiddlin’ and playing country dance music by the Delk Family.
The early country string bands originated in the Southern Appalachian Mountains and usually had the fiddle (Ireland), the guitar (Spain), the mandolin (Italy), the banjo (Africa) and the dulcimer (Germany). From this emanated traditional country music and the “hot string bands”, later dubbed Western Swing.
The Western Swing Guild was founded by a group of dedicated musicians for the purpose of “preserving and promoting an integral part of American music history—the genres of music known as Western Swing and Traditional Country.”
This fall Joe Baker, President of the Western Swing Guild, and steel guitarist Jimmy Tomlinson surprised Joe Delk and his boys (Neal, Mark & Byron) by presenting them with a plaque honoring them for three generations of contributions to Traditional Country and Western Swing Music. Baker told me, “the Delks were chosen in September, 2011 for their musical background beginning with Joe Delk’s father, Forrest, and then Joe and his three sons Mark, Byron, and Neal." He continued, “the Delks musical history dates back to over 70 years. The WSG was honored to recognize the entire Delk family for they're contributions.”
In response, Joe Delk said, “The recognition of Delk Family Music by the Western Swing Guild is a testament to Forrest Delk’s legacy of playing traditional dance music for country folks. My dad played for dances from 1934 until he died in 1996 and it never was about anything more than the love of music and folks having a good time dancing. It was his way of giving back to the community. He was, and still is, my inspiration. Joe also said, "the recognition of my sons Neal, Mark and Byron by the Western Swing Guild, acknowledging their continuing contribution to the legacy of western swing dance music is the “icing on the cake” for me. I am so blessed to be in this place.”
Figuring she was in a unique place as both wife and mother, I asked Diane Delk what her feelings were about the whole thing. She obliged by saying, “I am one proud mamma! To see Joe and my boys be recognized for their music is certainly one of my greatest moments. What an amazing journey this has been.”
I’ve had the pleasure of dancing to Forrest Delk and to Joe Delk and his boys. The first time I met Joe, 46 years ago, Joe had a fiddle in his hand. I had a Coors in mine. Many miles and moons have passed since then, but I’d like to add my admiration and thanks to him and his family for all they’ve done to preserve great music and our western way of life.
I’d also encourage everyone who enjoys the kind of music featured here at The Westerner to join The Western Swing Guild and help promote and preserve the music we love. Just go to their website and sign up for their free newsletter. And you can keep up with the Delk Band by visiting their website.
And the fiddle plays...
1 comment:
Well, I must say I met Joe Delk on a cold winter night at a basketball game in Silver City. The year was 1957 and I was just a little kid. We sat together . . kids from Santa Rita and Silver City and watched Las Cruces High play Silver. Many gallons of Gila River water have flowed past the old bridge since that night. Joe Delk still has no idea what the word phoney even means. He has such a sense of right and wrong that it is contagious. His dad had a group of friends that were loyal to the death and showed by utter devotion and affection for Forrest. Joe has and is inspiring the same kind of following. This is what awards should be about. Vaya con dios, son amigos, Joe y Diane.
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