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festival history

Llano  Fiddle Contest: A Recollection

The Llano area has been blessed with  many fiddlers who have kept the tradition of grass roots Texas music  alive. Many communities in Texas share a similar story of local  fiddlers and musicians playing, teaching and inspiring the next generation of passionate torch bearers for Texas music. Some of  Llano’s rich fiddling history includes fiddlers Otis Light, Tilmon  Harlow, Eddie McDonald, Herbert Goff, Jack Goff, Wendy Goff, Woodrow  Thomas, Bud Otto, Wilford Tumlinson, Harmon Ellis and Arthur Lee  Simpson.

Arthur Lee Simpson played fiddle with  the Ramblin’ Rose Band and backed up Ernest Tubb, Charlie Pride,  Loretta Lynn, Hank Thompson and George Jones when they came to  Llano’s Ramblin’ Rose dance hall to perform.  People actually danced at these performances--imagine dancing to George Jones.
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Terry Morris, First Grand Champion
The first  Llano fiddle contest was held in April 1976, on the banks of the  Llano River in Robinson Park. Some great fiddlers and musicians  participated in the Llano Fiddle Contest throughout the years,  including Terry and Dale Morris, Wes Westmoreland, Weldon and Ricky  Turpin, Roy Thackerson (the fingerless fiddler), Randy  Elmore, and Royce and Ray Franklin.

When the weather cooperated there  wasn’t a more charming atmosphere and environment to experience a  little bit of Texas. Unfortunately, the weather did not always  cooperate.  One year, under a large Oak tree as listeners peacefully sat in lawn chairs or on blankets, blissfully watching and enjoying  the music. Then a water line busted. A good soaking was had by all.  The next year a hail storm drove the competition into the nearby  community center. The noise of the hail pelting the metal roof of the  community center made it almost impossible to hear the fiddlers’  music. Organizers decided to move the competition indoors to the  American Legion Hall, which hosted the completion for many years.  After the contest, many fiddlers would gather at the home of Hazel  Overstreet and continue playing into the early morning hours.
PictureArmand Taylor
Armand Taylor organized the first  contest with the Texas Old Time Fiddlers Association. Boots Simpson,  Ken Hazelett, and Bud Otto would follow as contest organizers. Bud  Otto organized the Llano Fiddle Contest until 1991. There were no  contests from 1992 through 1996. In 1997 Floyd Ratliff picked up the  torch and revived the Llano Open Fiddle Contest. The contest  continued under Floyd Ratliff’s direction until his passing in  2007. The contests in 2008 and 2009 were headed up by Bill Tuckness.  There was no contest in 2010. That year, the Llano Music Group  decided to bring back the Llano Open Fiddle Contest in 2011 and  expand the event to a three day fiddle extravaganza.

The tradition of Llano’s fiddle  contest continues, welcoming fiddlers and  musicians who want to  compete and share a common passion with peers and fans  alike.  Hopefully their passion will transfer to a young girl or boy,  awestruck  by the sweet melodic sound of Texas fiddle music.

Local historical figure
Otis  (Ode) Light, Fading Memories

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Otis Light
Otis (Ode) Light, born January 1892, is  one of Llano’s historical treasures. Ode was a champion fiddle  player and played an original Italian Glovan Paolo Maggini fiddle  (excuse me, violin), dated 1622. He lived in the Six Mile community just west of Llano. 
 
The Otis Light Dance Band played in  Llano and surrounding communities for many years. The band members  were Otis Light on fiddle, James Light on banjo, Ben and Carl Light  on guitar and Willis Ratliff on bass. Some of Otis Light’s fiddle  recordings in 1937 are stored in the The American Folklife Center of the Library of Congress.


During World War I, Otis was wounded in  the leg and traveled home on a hospital ship. He befriended a German  man who gave him a Stradivarius violin, which was in pieces. The  story goes that he wrote the classic fiddle waltz “Over the Waves”.   Of course, "Sobre las Olas" (or “Over the Waves")  is the best  known work of Mexican composer Juventino Rosas (1868–1894). There  is some discussion that Austrian Johann Strauss wrote the “Over the  Waves” melody. Maybe Otis’ German friend taught him the tune on  that hospital ship. Regardless, Otis was playing “Over the Waves”  in Texas as early as 1917.

The Stradivarius, dated  1717, that Otis obtained in pieces was carried around in a flour  sack. Ode and Floyd Ratliff of Llano spent many hours putting it back  together.  It is believed that the fiddle is still somewhere in  Llano, safely stored.

Otis  Light had a very colorful vocabulary. His grandnephew, Willard  Campbell, remembers getting a whippin’ for repeating some of Otis’  bad  language. On a national radio show, Otis was being interviewed and colorful language slipped in every so often.  Otis’ wife, Bena  Light, was dismayed and she called him over.  Away from the  microphone, you could hear her tell Otis that he was on national  radio and to stop cussing. Otis replied with choice words “oh the  hell you say” and walked back to the microphone and continued his interview. 

There are Otis Lights  in every small community of Texas, playing and passing on stories of  the fiddle and fiddle music, because the fiddle IS  Texas. We pay tribute to those who carry on the tradition, for they  are our roots. They play because they love to play and their spirit  enriches our souls  with the sweet melodies of a time slowly fading  away.


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LLANO FIDDLE FEST
For tickets, contact Llano Visitor Center &
​Chamber of Commerce
(325) 247-5354
or, Lauri Ramsey, Llano Fiddle Fest 2023
​@ lauri.ramsey@gmail.com

For lodging information:
www.llanolodging.com
www.visitllanotexas.com/lodging

www.llanochamber.org
www.kingslandchamber.org
www.buchanan-inks.com
www.texaslodging.com