* * Getting to know an Appalachian Mountain Gentleman

One of the great pleasures of writing non-fiction books is the people I meet.  One Appalachian mountain gentleman I met recently while researching my next book about motorcycling the Crooked Road has become a particular favorite.  He is Buddy Pendleton of Woolwine, Virginia.

Buddy is in his mid-70s and is an accomplished fiddler.  He’s a wiry man, as slim as a fence-post, with a mop of grey hair covered by a mesh cowboy hat.  He always wears a long-sleeve button-down shirt and a black vest.  He is elegant in a modest way.

We re-connected late last week at the 75^th Annual Old Time Fiddler’s Convention in Galax, Virginia.  He jammed mostly with my old friend Jack Hinshelwood, but was also called upon to play with several other folks.  He speaks slowly and deliberately in a quiet monotone.  His hand shakes a bit when he holds a fork or writes with a pen.  But when he has a horsehair bow in his right hand and a fiddle against his cheek, incredible things happen.  His music is lyrical and flowing. 

He told me, “I have always enjoyed playing at the fiddler's conventions.  At one point, I had a pretty lucky streak going.  I was playing at several different conventions.  I had 13 first-place wins in a row.  This winning streak spanned from one year to the next.  I won first place at the Galax Fiddler’s Convention a couple of times and was second place 2 or 3 more times.  I had 5 consecutive wins at the Union Grove Festival.”  Nobody has equaled his feat since then.

Buddy lives in nearby Patrick County.  His half-mile dirt driveway connects him to a country lane and to the rest of the world.  When I visited him for our interview, a fallen tree hung at head-height over the road and I felt like I had to duck to get under it on my motorcycle. His car wears a sheen of green as if it is a growing thing itself.

Nobody seems to get much sleep at the Galax Convention.  I hit the sack around 11:30, but was awoken by sweet fiddle sounds well into the night.  The next morning, one of the other guys apologized for waking me.  But I remember in my dreamlike state thinking how good the music sounded.

Buddy doesn’t perform very much any more.  But if you have the chance to hear him, do it!  Be prepared to be astounded.