b. 1944
Naylor, Missouri
Wood Joinery

Dr. James Price grew up watching his father make ax handles, gun ramrods, sassafras boat paddles, cedar turkey calls and furniture. Dr. Price wrote in 1985, “Woodworking was important on our Ozark farm.  My family owned a small sawmill which produced lumber for use on the farm.  We built buildings, repaired wagons, made furniture and boat paddles, and many other objects and structures of wood.”

A joiner, as well as an anthropologist/archaeologist, James Price learned joinery from his father, Acel W. Price, from Doniphan, Missouri, and  Bruce Debo of Devil’s Elbow, Missouri. Dr. James Price is a sixth generation Ozark dweller and descendent of Current River Valley settlers who came to the region in 1814.

While he specialized in making boxes and chests, James Price’s 1986 lesson plans included the exploration of “the philosophy of why we should construct something by hand in the machine age.” According to outside evaluator Donald Love in May of 1986, Dr. Price’s lessons with Nick Heatherly included “a constant barrage of encouragement, criticism, praise, teasing, coaxing.  Jim seems to have spared no effort to find minor stratagems for raising Nick’s curiosity and determination.”

The careful process of creating useful art is important to Dr. Price. During an outside evaluation in May, 1988, Dr. Price told Dr. Erika Brady, “Without using any fossil fuel source, I can take a pile of boards and make them into an object of beauty.  The tools are the instrument, and the piece becomes a kind of permanent music.  If it doesn’t burn or blow away, it can last a thousand years—it will be impossible to pull apart.” His joy in creating functional, beautiful, and high quality art put him in high demand as a teacher.

Dr. Price’s enthusiasm for joinery works well with his love of teaching. In a January 1986 letter to MFAP staff, Dr. Price enthused, “Nick and I drove his chest together on Sunday.  All 52 dovetails and 54 pins matched exactly!! Nick had a real case of the nerves since one wrong saw cut or too tight a fit would have meant disaster.  We are both delighted with the progress we have made.”

According to Brady, “Price explained that his selection of apprentices is based in his perception of their interest and commitment, demanding physical activity in their spare time.  In addition, they must be able to make use of the best resources and materials available, without shortcuts.” His care in choosing an apprentice was also reflected in his skill as a teacher. Dr. Price’s apprentices universally praised his skill and teaching ability. His apprentice in 1992, Tom Blair, told MFAP staff, “James Price is extremely knowledgeable and skilled in hand tool wood working…I would like to someday pass these skill on to my son and possibly teach these skills to other people as Mr. Price will have taught me.”

Apprentices:
1986 Nick Heatherly
1987 Bernard Allen
1988 Christopher Miller
1989 Debra Hunt
1992 John (Tom) Blair

Audio clip: James Price describes the joy of rehabilitating old tools and “making them sing again” during a site visit to his Naylor, Missouri workshop on November 11, 1985.

b. 1927
West Plains, Missouri
Ozark Old Time Short-Bow Fiddling

Apprentices:
2000 Don Buedel

2001 Amanda Case

2003 Jessica Collins

2005 Rachel Reynolds

2007 Rachel Reynolds

2014 Virginia Harden

2016 Joel Hinds

 

Cliff Bryan hails from the West Plains, Missouri region.  He began playing in the 1940’s, and has stated he learned his art from old time fiddlers Charlie Hiler, George Edison, Emerson Briles, and “any other fiddler I could get cornered.”  When Bryan retired from farming, his fiddling became “the big part” of his life.  Mr. Bryan never cared to enter fiddle contests, preferring instead to play for community music gatherings and parties.  Mr. Bryan fostered appreciation for the art not only by taking on apprentices, but also by playing often in public, especially at dances and at the senior center in West Plains.

Ozark short-bow fiddling differs from other bowing techniques used by Missouri fiddlers. Mr. Bryan’s first TAAP apprentice, Don Buedel, encouraged Mr. Bryan to apply to the program because he realized that Mr. Bryan’s style of playing was unique and could be endangered.   In a report from an outside evaluation with Mr. Bryan and his apprentice Jessica Collins in 2003, Howard Marshall noted that “only five or six inches of the bow, near the tip, seem to be used to play on the string,” which is particularly good for playing dances.  Students sought out Mr. Bryan as an instructor particularly to learn the tradition of bowing that is distinct from other bowing techniques even within the Ozarks.

Mr. Bryan’s teaching style was appreciated by his students and admired by outside evaluators like Howard Marshall. In describing his visit, Howard Marshall noted “Cliff’s teaching style is very supportive and very generous.  He watches intently and politely, adding a comment or a suggestion as needed.  But generally, like most old-time fiddlers, Cliff teaches by example and demonstration—just like a master blacksmith or carpenter. Cliff was generous but brief with praise during the lesson…There is a great amount of mutual respect and mutual admiration between teacher and pupil.”

Mr. Bryan’s apprentices frequently remarked on his kindness and encouragement. Apprentice Rachel Reynolds, who was applying with Mr. Bryan for a second year of the program, said in her 2007 application:  “Aside from being just an all-around great fella, Mr. Bryan has a fiddle style and a repertoire of songs that I greatly admire.  He is as excited about teaching me as I am about learning from him.  The times that I have spent playing with him, he has offered instruction that I could understand and has offered endless encouragement.” Reynolds continued, “I hope to learn as many of the great old-time tunes from Mr. Bryan as I can.  I hope to ‘make my bow shake,’ as he says.”

 

Audio clip: After playing “Bonaparte Crossing the Rhine” together, Mr. Bryan tells his apprentice Amanda Case, “Now, I’m gonna let you play it by yourself so that you can hear it,” which she does, to the admiration of the backup guitar player. Audio Credit: Deborah Bailey.

Cecil Murray is a self-described “river rat.” Born and raised in Doniphan, Missouri near the Current River, Mr. Murray has been involved in the building of johnboats and the carving of johnboat guide paddles since he was five years old. Johnboat building and paddle carving are a long-standing tradition in Mr. Murray’s family. He learned this work from his father, and most particularly, from his Uncle Ernest (Punk) Murray (also a TAAP master artist in johnboat paddle carving). Punk Murray’s particular method of making sturdy guide paddles is a closely guarded secret that Cecil Murray has shared with his family members and long-time fellow river rats and woodworkers.

b. 1940
Doniphan, Missouri
Johnboat Building & Johnboat Paddle Carving

Apprentices:
1993    Steven Cookson
1994    Mitchell Sorrell
1995    John Murray
1996    Wesley Murray
1997    Jon Murray, Mitchell Sorrell
2010    Nathan Gordon
2012    Nathan Gordon

Historically, long, low wooden johnboats were the norm on Ozark riverways, but since the 1940s, aluminum boats and mass-produced paddles have replaced handmade boats and paddles. Mr. Murray and his family continue to practice an art form that is both rare and endangered but very important to the Ozark riverways heritage.

In 2011, two-time apprentice Nathan Gordon laughingly described his excitement with Cecil Murray: “Well, I’ll tell you—I didn’t choose—Cecil chose me. Not that I wasn’t wanting to learn from him very badly. I was honored and excited when Cecil first asked me to apprentice under him in johnboat building and am very excited about learning paddle making too. Cecil is the leading expert and the master craftsman of this art.”

Mr. Murray’s many apprentices speak highly of his skill and abilities. When outside evaluator Alex Primm visited Cecil Murray and his apprentice Steve Cookson in June 1993, he noted “I could see that he was careful that all the arrangements for his boatbuilding were well planned and his tools showed a mix of traditional implements as well as modern labor-saving devices.”

Mr. Murray balances protecting his family’s traditional boat-building and sassafras paddle-carving style with the desire to pass on his knowledge and skill to those who will carry it on. In his 2010 TAAP application, Mr. Murray wrote, “I haven’t built a johnboat in several years and I thought maybe I would stop now and be done with it. But I started thinking—while I can do this still—and I am not as strong as I used to be—I would like to pass this on to Nathan. Just talking about the project with him has made me pretty enthusiastic. Maybe I got a couple more in me.”

 

Audio clip: Outside his Doniphan workshop, Cecil Murray describes the advantages of paddling and fishing from a wooden johnboat to MFAP director Dana Everts Boehm in May, 1996.

Johnny Ray Bruce was born April 28, 1939 and as an adult lived about a mile outside of the small town of Bosworth, Missouri, in Carroll County. He made a living as a “dirt farmer” and a welder and ran a business with a cousin laying field tile. Mr. Bruce came from a musical family; his father, Tyson Bruce, was a well-known square-dance fiddler.  Johnny began playing the fiddle at age nine. He credits his father and an uncle, Dewey “Dude” Bruce as musical influences, as well as friends, radio, and recordings.

b. 1939 d. 1992
Bosworth, Missouri
Old-Time Fiddle

Apprentices:
1986 Holly Gorsett
1987 Robbie Schiezer
1988 David Bruce
1989 Heather Tietjens
1990 Robert Patrick
1991 Patricia Spainhour

Mr. Bruce made many friends as a contestant and judge in state and national fiddle competitions, as well as through his teaching in places like the Bethel Fiddle Camp and through TAAP.  He played for “enjoyment, money, making people happy and most of all, hopefully passing on and keeping alive the art of old time fiddling.”

Bruce recognized that enjoyment is intrinsic to learning the instrument, as noted by folklorist Margot Roberson in 1986.  She observed Mr. Bruce “doesn’t believe in the easy-to-difficult approach . . . they pick a tune [the apprentice] likes or they both like, and, difficult or easy, she learns it.” He was particularly interested in teaching his apprentices the subtleties of good playing. Outside evaluator, James M. Shirky, observed during a TAAP site visit in 1987, “Not just once, but several times, Johnny Bruce noted that ‘John Q. Public’ wants ‘show tunes,’ a lot of elbow action, burning up the strings – effect instead of essence.”

In a letter to MFAP in 1990, apprentice Robert Patrick (who was also a master blacksmith with TAAP) said, “I am really happy with what I learned from Johnny.  He doesn’t realize how much he inspired me and helped me & the tunes have stuck–I am getting better at them all the time.”

Johnny Bruce died in a car accident in the summer of 1992 at the age of 53.  In an obituary in the Daily Democrat, folklorist, fiddler and former director of the Missouri Cultural Heritage Center Howard Marshall had many warm recollections of Mr. Bruce:  “He had a character that people really enjoyed, and he put Carroll County on the map.” Mr. Bruce’s wealth of knowledge and openness to sharing that knowledge were evidenced by another of Marshall’s comments: “’When a person like Johnny dies, it’s like when a library burns down.’”

 

Audio clip: As part of their participation in TAAP, Johnny Ray Bruce recorded his lessons with apprentice Holly Gorsett. Many tapes from these lessons are archived at the Western Historical Manuscript Collection at the Missouri State Historical Society in Columbia, Mo.

In his 1986 application to the Traditional Arts Apprenticeship Program, Martin Bergin wrote, “The highest honor I have received or could ever receive is the acceptance and recognition of my saddles by my peers and those buckaroos and cowboys whom I serve.”

b. 1939
Overland, Missouri
Saddlemaker & Cowboy Poet

Apprentices:
1986 Franklin Holler (saddlemaking)
1987 Caroll Ray Wayne (saddlemaking)
1988 Suzanne Polson (saddlemaking)
1989 Michael Phillips (saddlemaking)
1990 Michael Phillips (cowboy poetry)
1997 Donald Dascher (saddlemaking)
2001 James Messner (saddlemaking)
2011 Mike Massey (saddlemaking)

Martin Bergin learned saddlemaking from old-time saddle makers in West Texas and New Mexico, where he worked as a cowboy, horsebreaker and rodeo competitor as a young man. He had already been a saddlemaker for fourteen years when he enrolled in the J.M. Saddlemaking School in Whitewood, South Dakota. Mr. Bergin described his commitment to teaching to Alex Primm during an outside site evaluation in 1988. “I figure that I’ve learned so much from other people during my life, that I feel I have some kind of obligation to pass on what I’ve learned to others.” His work with seven different apprentices during eight partnerships in TAAP demonstrates his drive to share his knowledge and skills.

Suzanne Polson (1988 TAAP apprentice) met Martin Bergin when she brought him a 1902 West Texas trail saddle for restoration, after trying unsuccessfully to get other saddle shops to take on the difficult project. She spoke highly of Martin Bergin’s teaching: “he showed confidence in my ability to learn saddlemaking and was willing to teach me without taking into consideration the fact that I am a female.” Another apprentice, Michael A. Phillips, observed, “After working with Mr. Bergin for a couple of years I have recognized the vast amount of saddlemaking knowledge that he has and more importantly the fact that he is willing to work with apprentices and teach the tradition. Most saddlemakers won’t take the time to pass the tradition to others.”

Mr. Bergin is not just a saddlemaker, however. He is also a well-known expert in the history, composition and performance of cowboy poetry. In 1990, he was the first TAAP master artist to teach a verbal art. After a site visit in March of 1990, MFAP staff member Patrick Janson wrote, “Bergin is not only a wonderful spokesperson for the state’s traditional arts, he is a well-informed practitioner. Most everyone who comes into contact with Martin appreciates the artistry of his saddlemaking, but few understand his depth of knowledge when it comes to Missouri’s historic ties to the nation’s cowboy/western heritage.” Mr. Bergin’s poetry was described by MFAP staff member Julie Youmans as “witty…and bittersweet.” He frequently signed his correspondence “Take care, hoss, and keep your saddle blankets clean.”

 

Audio clip: Jim Messner and Martin Bergin describe their “real technical tool”—a doorknob—to MFAP Folk Arts Specialist, Deborah Bailey in a 2002 site visit.

b. 1930 d. 2004
Ava, Missouri
Ozark Fiddling

Apprentices:
1988 Venae Heier
1989 Venae Heier
1990 Emily Longworth
1992 Hannah Dowden
1993 Mike Fraser
1994 Mike Fraser
1998 Liz Amos
1999 Liz Amos
2000 Travis Bently
2001 David Scrivner

Master Bob Holt’s place in the Ava fiddling tradition is a prominent and proud one. In his 1989 application to the Traditional Arts Apprenticeship Program, he wrote about how he learned to play from uncles and other local fiddlers; his father also whistled tunes for his son to learn, and Bob Holt listened to recordings from the 20’s and 30’s. In his learning, Mr. Holt gained a deep appreciation for the relationship between old-time fiddle music and square dance in the Ava area. In another TAAP application, he wrote, “I grew up as the only fiddler in a large family of good dancers and probably learned as much about playing dances from them as I ever did from any fiddlers, and it has always been a great part of my life.”

Mr. Holt’s lessons with his apprentices emphasized how to cater to dancers, particularly by making the tunes “more danceable.” Mr. Holt stated, “The difficult thing is to teach someone else the rhythmic style of bowing and the speed which is required to make them acceptable to our dancers. My father once told me in explaining how to play for dances, ‘you have to give dancers a place to put their foot down.’ That says it all.” Mr. Holt recognized how important dancing is to a square dance fiddler’s education; in his work plan for his 2001 apprenticeship with David Scrivner, he wrote that along with one-on-one lessons, he would encourage Scrivner to keep on attending, playing, and dancing at local dances “to learn about the interrelationship between the music and the dance.”

The mutually satisfying relationship between master and apprentice was evidenced by the frequency with which he took on apprentices for a second year. Apprentice Venae Heier, whom Bob Holt had known “all her life,” wrote in 1988, “I have had the privilege of being an apprentice under Bob Holt’s instruction…Bob and I have developed a mutual understanding and respect for the art of fiddling.” Another apprentice, Mike Fraser, stated after his first year of apprenticeship, “I feel that I learned more about fiddle playing from Bob Holt in 16 lessons than I would have in 5 or 10 years doing it alone. Maybe never!”

TAAP outside evaluator Catherine Parce, in a 1990 site visit report, noted how Mr. Holt valued the relationship between music and his community. She stated that he “cares about the Ava music community and does all he can to help it thrive by teaching and by frequently playing for Saturday night dances held in the basement of the Ava Masonic Temple. “

Mr. Holt received a National Heritage Award from the National Endowment for the Arts in 1999.

Audio clip: Master Bob Holt surprises his apprentice Liz Amos with his decision to play “The Missouri Waltz” in an afternoon performance at the “Tuesdays at the Capitol“ series on April 14, 1998.

Blacksmith Darold Rinedollar is known for his horseshoeing and agricultural blacksmithing, as well as fine decorative and household work. Originally from Rockford, Illinois, Mr. Rinedollar learned his trade from aging German blacksmiths in upstate New York when he was a young man. Mr. Rinedollar takes great pride in his work and communicated that pride to his apprentices. “That’s what I was taught by the old Germans I apprenticed under in New York State. Besides trying to get across why we do each step that we carry out, I try to get across the difference between crap and the best that we can do.  The old timers were concerned with getting it right.  Speed wasn’t that important to them. It had to be done right.  We know the difference.”  A working smith since 1956, Mr. Rinedollar told MFAP staff in 1985 that blacksmithing “is my life. I have never wanted to do anything else.”

b. 1937
Augusta, Missouri
Blacksmithing

Apprentices:
1986 Marty Pehle
1987 Paul Harvey
1988 Paul Harvey
1989 Paul Harvey & David Gronefeld
1992 Richard Lortz
1994 Michael Brewer

Outside evaluator Sandy Primm observed in 1988 that, “pride is one of the main things Rinedollar tries to get across.” Apprentice Paul Harvey understood Rinedollar’s teaching and clearly felt a similar pride in the work he performed with his hands, writing in a 1987 TAAP application,  “I stand there black as the coal I use, with people looking in wondering, how can he do this? Where is the machine? I can honestly answer, right here in my own two arms.”

Rinedollar was very warm in his praise of apprentice Paul Harvey in his letter supporting the partnership for 1987.   He had worked with him in the past, and said of Harvey’s maturing within the profession,  “I hired a typical teen-age boy who couldn’t wait to get paid and leave early Friday to go “cruising” up and down 5th St. and ended up with a very responsible man who, on more than one occasion, has worked with me up until 1 or 2 AM when I had to have a project done or was going to a show the next day.”

In his application to apprentice with Mr. Rinedollar, Michael Brewer wrote, “Darold Rinedollar is probably one of the more accomplished blacksmiths in this region and from my observation is a very patient and willing teacher.  His knowledge of ornamental ironwork is extensive and his style is well known.”

Passing his knowledge on through first-hand learning was extremely important to Mr. Rinedollar. He said, “Even something as simple as heating steel “cherry red” cannot be explained in a book.  It must be part of the tradition; until someone shows each beginner what it should actually look like, the beginner has no reference.  Each person’s eye has to be trained, everyone has to learn the color for themselves.”

Audio clip: Mr. Rinedollar explains the different types of coal, including green coal and coking coal, used to achieve the proper temperature and flame type in the forge to MFAP staff members during a January 1986 site visit.  

b. 1926
St. Joseph, Missouri
Blacksmithing

Apprentices:
1996 Melvin Glenn
1997 John Wiggington
1999 William Glenn
2002 Calvin Glenn
2006 Calvin Glenn
2007 Frank Hurt

John Glenn learned the art of blacksmithing from his father, a practicing blacksmith in St. Joseph, Missouri. According to town tradition, St. Joseph was the last stop for wagon repairs for those traveling West, so blacksmithing has a long and venerable history in that area.

In his lessons, Mr. Glenn’s first goal is to orient the apprentice on the safety rules of the shop. Then he taught his apprentices metal identification, composition, and properties. With this background knowledge in place, Mr. Glenn demonstrated methods for handling the fire and shaping and forging the metal and supervised the apprentice in his work. Mr. Glenn was also interested in teaching team hammering, in which, he said, “The smith and his three helpers would stand around the anvil in a circle. The smith would strike the work and each helper would duplicate his strike in turn.”

Mr. Glenn’s work complements the historical richness of St. Joseph; for example, in a TAAP application dated 2005, he stated “I make, restore, and repair ironwork fences that are found around some of the old Victorian era houses in St. Joseph,” and he also fashions tools to aid in the restoration and upkeep of historic buildings.

Mr. Glenn’s lessons were applicable to the many functions of blacksmithing, as evidenced by the wide range of interests his apprentices had in the craft. According to former apprentice James George in a letter written to support Mr. Glenn’s application to TAAP, Mr. Glenn’s apprentices learn “early American rifle building, ornamental iron work, hobby knife making, iron art sculpture, and medieval weaponry,” as well as creating camping equipment.

Mr. Glenn’s apprentices included family members like his grandson, Calvin Glenn, who began his apprenticeship when he was still in high school, as well as his son, William Glenn. William praised the usefulness of the lessons with his father, stating that he “has helped me in the making of my specialized tools for working on old and historic buildings,” and said that Mr. Glenn was “extremely knowledgeable and quite skilled.”

Audio clip: John Glenn demonstrates tongs specifically designed to work with horseshoes to an audience gathered at in Jefferson City as part of the Tuesdays at the Capitol program on April 28, 1998.