In Memoriam, Bob Holt, 1930-2004

Here is a short biography of Bob Holt, written by Jim Nelson as an obituary for the Old Time Herald.

Ozark fiddler Bob Holt died Friday, March 19, 2004 at home in Ava after a lingering illness. Bob was probably best known for his square dance fiddling, which was characterized by brisk tempos (to say the least), highly rhythmic, but economical bowing, and an intriguing repertoire of stripped-down tunes that particularly suited his style. Anyone who’s danced to Bob’s music, will attest that it had a special quality, that went way beyond its sheer speed. Bob was comfortable being pegged as a dance fiddler, and in fact once told folklorist Drew Beisswenger in an interview, “To me, it’s, if you can’t make people dance, what’s the point? I mean, I like pretty music … , but it gets boring after a while.” While Bob had a strong preference for the dance tunes, he had a vast repertoire of archaic, obscure, and yes, “pretty” tunes as well. Those of us who had the great pleasure to know Bob, and maybe play music with him or dance to his vigorous, rock-solid fiddling (Bob played for the Childgrove dances in 1997 and 1999, and at Kimmswick in 1992 and 1997) will remember him, his music, and his easy-going country ways for a long time. While Bob’s passing may, in ways, mark the end of an era, he left a legacy, musical and otherwise, that will live on for sometime.

Bob was born October 25, 1930. From the time of his birth, he was exposed to the old-time dance music of the Ozarks from musical members of his family. These included his father, an enthusiastic dancer and whistler, who would whistle his favorite fiddle tunes for Bob, his banjo-playing Uncle Node, and his grandmother, who had an old wind-up record player on which Bob heard 78s by the likes of Eck Robertson, the Skillet Lickers, Doc Roberts, the Leake County Revelers, and of course, all the popular songs of the day By the age of four, Bob was playing the harmonica. He had learned the mandolin by the age of twelve, and the fiddle by age fifteen. All along, Bob’s dad was highly supportive, teaching Bob by whistling his favorite tunes. (Bob said his dad could a prefect fiddle tune, bow shuffles and all!) His dad would also call him in from his chores around noon so Bob could listen to the fifteen-minute radio show out of Springfield that featured fiddlers like Buster Fellers. In short order, Bob was playing square dances for his family, friends, and in neighboring communities.

Economic hardships in the late 1940s led to Bob’s moving with his family to the Davenport, Iowa area, where Bob worked in factories and as a barber. During the twelve or so years he was there, Bob continued to hone his skills as a fiddler by playing country music with fellow Ozark transplant, Harley Newberry, and his band, the Sunset Rangers. Bob returned home to his farm near Ava in 1965, worked several jobs before taking up farming, and eventually got back into his fiddling. He farmed and was an active musician from that time until his declining health intervened. He was, without a doubt, the most highly sought after dance fiddler in the Missouri Ozarks, one of a few regions in the country where traditional jig dancing and square dancing continue to be celebrated and practiced in an ongoing manner. Until a couple of years ago, Bob played a dance nearly every weekend over an area that extends from Van Buren and Cabool to the east to Ava and Forsyth to the west. In addition, for twenty years or so, Bob played a three day long square dance for Hootin’ an’ Hollarin’, Gainesville, Missouri’s fall festival. Although Bob was sometimes modest about his own abilities as a musician, he understood the synergistic nature of the relationship between his music and the square dance community which he helped to nurture. He developed a deep and intense bond with the dancers that attended each of these events. Most were from nearby communities, but in the case of the dancers at Taney Center and Hootin’ an Hollarin’, some regularly traveled from as far away as Potosi and Sullivan – a distance of well over a hundred miles – to attend these dances. Bob affectionately referred to these folks as “my dancers” and from their dedication to him, I’d say the feeling was mutual. In 2001, at the end of the third night of the Hootin’ an’ Hollarin’ dance, the line of people that came up to the stage to shake Bob’s hand in thanks, and otherwise show their appreciation for his music kept him there for nearly half an hour.

Despite the fact he sometimes shrugged off praise about his music, Bob was a highly skilled dance fiddler. He also possessed a vast knowledge of older tunes not known outside the immediate region, all of which extended his reputation as a master fiddler across the country. In the 1970s he was called on to perform at the Frontier Folklife Festival in St. Louis and at the National Folk Festival, then held at Wolf Trap in Virginia. In 1991 and 1992 he played at the Wheatland Traditional Music Festival in Remus, Michigan. He played at the Missouri Heritage Fair, held in 1993 and 1994 at the Missouri Historical Society Museum in St. Louis. He was also a featured performer at the University of Chicago Folk Festival in 1994. Bob’s participation has been essential to at the West Plains Ozark Heritage Old-Time Music Festival since its inception in 1996, and the jig dancing contest held there annually was named in his honor. In 1999, Bob performed as a master fiddler as part of “Old-Time Week” at the Augusta Heritage Center at Davis and Elkins College in Elkins, West Virginia. In 1999, Bob also received what is probably the most significant honor acknowledging his music. He was given the National Heritage Fellowship Award by the National Endowment for the Arts, the nation’s highest award for the traditional arts. In typical fashion, Bob insisted that a group of his dancer from Ava travel to Washington, D.C. with him to share in the honors, which were presented by then first lady Hilary Clinton. Bob, a lifelong Democrat, enjoyed hobnobbing with Mrs. Clinton. While in Washington, he also took it as a personal challenge to find a place where he could smoke!

Bob’s music has been documented on several recordings. Most notably, he was recorded in 1996-97 by the noted folklorists/collectors, Mark Wilson and Gordon McCann. These recordings resulted in a full CD of Bob’s fiddling released on Rounder Records, Got a Little Home to Go to (0432), and a Rounder Records anthology titled Traditional Fiddle Music of the Ozarks, Volume One: Along the Eastern Crescent (0435), on which Bob’s fiddling appears prominently. In addition, Bob released two cassettes of his music independently.

Bob possessed a keen awareness of the cultural significance of his music, its relationship to traditional Ozark square dancing, and the importance of that relationship to the survival of both. He actively engaged in passing on his art to successive generations. Over the past decade or so, a series of people made it a point to visit Bob and soak up some of his wisdom, musical and otherwise, among them fiddlers Gail Heil, Geoff Seitz, Barbara Weathers, and Liz Amos. On a more formal level, Bob has been a Master associated with the Missouri’s Traditional Arts Apprenticeship Program eight times – in 1988, ‘89, ‘90, ‘93, ‘94, ‘98, ‘2000, and ‘2001 – more often than any other participant in the program. In addition, Bob had a few fiddle students he taught privately. A couple of these to look out for are Travis Bentley and Ashley Hull, both of whom are playing Bob’s music with the speed, power, and precision that it takes to drive the dancers in southern Missouri. Though we will miss him, his musical spirit will remain with us for some time to come.

Jim Nelson,
St. Louis, Missouri