Biography:Mitch Wallin

Biographical notes
 MITCHELL "MITCH" WALLIN (1854-1932) was a lifelong resident of Sodom Laurel, Madison County, western North Carolina, who had been visited by English folksong and folk dance collector Cecil Sharp during his Appalachian tour in 1916. Mike Yates wrote in his Musical Traditions article #047, "Sharp spent about four weeks in Madison County, often being driven in Mitchel Wallin's car. Today Mr Wallin is remembered as a good local fiddle player.  Sharp, however, found him, 'a bad singer and a very difficult fiddler to note from.' After noting the tune "High March", Sharp wrote that: Wallin began by playing several times occasionally making the 4th crotchet E or D below, then broke into the tune when the fancy took him.  He rested the fiddle on his knee, while he sat down.  He played well but was perpetually improvising in detail.  He said 'All my tunes are changeable'.  His mother was a Franklin.  He must have Irish blood in him. Fiddler  musician Byard Ray (1910-1988) was his grand-nephew and learned some of his tunes. See also "Tucker's Old Barn (2)."