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."
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.
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