Clark Kessinger (1896 to 1975) was a West Virginia fiddler with two careers. From 1928 to 1930 he and his nephew Luches recorded more than 60 instrumentals for Brunswick as the Kessinger Brothers. He then spent three decades as a house painter. The folk revival found him in 1963, and in his late sixties he won the senior division at Weiser in 1966 and the fiddle contest at Galax in 1970.
Why Kessinger matters
Most old-time fiddlers of the 78 rpm era played rough and short. Kessinger played clean and long. He listened to classical violinists and brought their bow control to Turkey in the Straw and Billy in the Lowground. His 1920s records showed that a dance tune could be played with precision and still drive a dance floor. His 1960s contest wins proved it again. If you play a hornpipe with a smooth, full bow and a clear tone, you are playing in a line that runs through him.
Life and career
Kessinger was born on July 27, 1896, in South Hills, near Charleston, in Kanawha County, West Virginia. He started on banjo at age five and switched to fiddle at around seven. By then he was playing in saloons with his father. The blind fiddler Ed Haley, who worked the same region, was a major early influence. Kessinger served in the Navy in 1917.
In 1927 he began playing on radio station WOBU in Charleston. On February 11, 1928, he and his nephew Luches “Luke” Kessinger, who played guitar, cut 12 sides for Brunswick as the Kessinger Brothers. They kept recording through September 20, 1930. The sessions produced more than 60 instrumentals, including Wednesday Night Waltz, Turkey in the Straw, and Salt River. Wednesday Night Waltz sold best. Some sides carried square dance calls by Ernest Legg.
The Depression ended the recording work. Kessinger stayed in the Kanawha Valley, played local dates, and worked as a painter for 34 years. He shared stages with the Delmore Brothers and Clayton McMichen. Luke Kessinger died in 1944.
In 1963 the folk promoter Ken Davidson found him. In August 1964 Kessinger took a band with guitarist Gene Meade and banjoist Wayne Hauser to Galax and won the string band contest. The Kessinger Brothers name won the Galax band contest again in 1965. In 1966 he won the senior division at the National Oldtime Fiddlers’ Contest in Weiser, Idaho. That year he also played the Grand Ole Opry, NBC’s Today Show, and the Newport Folk Festival, and he recorded for Davidson’s Folk Promotions and Kanawha labels.
In 1970 Kessinger won first place in fiddle at Galax. In April 1971 he took the World’s Champion Fiddler prize at the Union Grove convention in North Carolina, and that year he cut 12 tracks for Rounder. Late in 1971 he had a stroke at a Virginia fiddlers’ convention. It paralyzed his left hand and ended his playing. He died on June 4, 1975, in St. Albans, West Virginia, at age 78.
Playing style
Kessinger’s bow arm is the thing to study. He used long, smooth strokes and kept the sound even from frog to tip. He listened to Fritz Kreisler, Joseph Szigeti, and Jascha Heifetz, and it shows. His intonation was clean, his double stops rang in tune, and his fast passages stayed clear at speed.
He was a showman. The West Virginia Encyclopedia describes his “highly developed technical ability and irrepressible showmanship.” On the 1960s recordings he plays hornpipes and reels with sharp rhythmic accents and sudden dynamic shifts. He played show pieces like Chicken Reel alongside the older West Virginia repertoire.
Influences and legacy
Ed Haley shaped his early playing. The classical violinists on records shaped his bowing. His nephew Luke gave him the guitar backing that made the Brunswick sides swing.
Contest fiddlers in the 1960s and 1970s heard a West Virginian who could match the Texas players for polish. Old-time revival players learned Wednesday Night Waltz, Salt River, and his version of Billy in the Lowground from his sides. The West Virginia Music Hall of Fame inducted him in 2007.
Signature tunes and songs
Wednesday Night Waltz Salt River Turkey in the Straw Chicken Reel Billy in the Lowground.
Essential recordings
The Legend of Clark Kessinger (Folk Promotions) Clark Kessinger: Old-time Music with Fiddle and Guitar (Rounder)
Awards and honors
Old Fiddlers’ Convention, Galax, first place string band, with Gene Meade and Wayne Hauser (1964) Old Fiddlers’ Convention, Galax, first place band, Kessinger Brothers (1965) National Oldtime Fiddlers’ Contest, Weiser, Senior Division champion (1966) Old Fiddlers’ Convention, Galax, first place fiddle (1970) Union Grove Old Time Fiddlers’ Convention, World’s Champion Fiddler (1971) West Virginia Music Hall of Fame (2007)
Watch and listen
Film of Kessinger from 1966, the year he won at Weiser and played the Opry. Watch how little his bow arm moves for how much sound comes out.
Kessinger at the Newport Folk Festival. Listen for the clean double stops.
What to learn from Kessinger
Learn Salt River. It is a jam standard, and Kessinger’s version has a clear melody line you can copy note for note. The technique to steal is his long bow. Most jam fiddlers saw with short strokes near the middle. Play a hornpipe with the whole bow, keep the pressure even, and hold the tone steady from frog to tip. Do it slow first. Your tone will stand out in any jam.
Sources
Clark Kessinger, West Virginia Encyclopedia Clark Kessinger, Wikipedia National Oldtime Fiddlers’ Contest champions, University of Idaho Library Old Fiddlers’ Convention 1970 winners Old Fiddlers’ Convention 1965 winners Clark Kessinger, Discogs
Related players
See the fiddle players hub and the fiddle guide for more old-time and contest players. Ed Haley was his early model. Clayton McMichen shared stages with him. Melvin Wine and J.P. Fraley carried the West Virginia and eastern Kentucky traditions beside him.