Biography
James Gideon Tanner (1885–1960), a farmer from Dacula, Georgia, became a crowd favorite at the annual Georgia Old-Time Fiddler's Conventions held in Atlanta from 1913–1935. Gene Wiggins has written:
"Gid was the most outrageous clown of all fiddlers. Looking and sounding funny was his specialty. A big roan-haired, ruddy-faced oaf, he had a deep bass and high falsetto. He could throw his head so far back he looked decapitated. He could turn around almost completely, like an owl."
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Throughout the 1920s, Tanner was titular head of Columbia's best-selling hillbilly band, The Skillet Lickers.
His final recordings were made in 1934 with a reconstituted band, this time under Victor's Bluebird label, a session that allowed his talents as an entertainer to shine.
"Tanner's Boarding House", with its cast of deadbeat tenants, is a showcase for Gid's humor, and his fiddling on this piece is unusual, emphasizing chords over melody. Here he's accompanied by long-time colleague Riley Puckett on guitar.
Biography text from Last.fm, available under CC BY-SA.