Dick Barrett was one of the most decorated contest fiddlers of the 1970s. He won the Grand National Championship at Weiser, Idaho, four times, in 1971, 1972, 1975, and 1976, and the Grand Master Fiddler Championship in Nashville in 1973, its second year. He kept winning at Weiser in the senior divisions into the 2000s, and the Texas Fiddlers Hall of Fame inducted him in 2004.
Why Barrett matters
Barrett won at Weiser when the contest was deciding what Texas style would sound like on a national stage. He shared the champions list of those years with Herman Johnson, Byron Berline, and Benny Thomasson, and only Johnson won more Grand National titles. His 1973 Grand Master title came the year after Vernon Solomon won the first one, so his name sits near the top of both major American contest rolls.
Life and career
Barrett’s public record is a contest record. The University of Idaho’s National Oldtime Fiddlers’ collection lists him as a Montana fiddler when he won his four Grand National titles. Only seven fiddlers have matched or passed four titles in the contest’s history.
In 1973 he won the Grand Master Fiddler Championship in Nashville, which had started in 1972. The Grand Master roll lists him as a Texas fiddler. A 1981 newspaper clipping in the Idaho collection names him among that year’s national division winners at Weiser, alongside Mark O’Connor and John Francis.
In 1971 Barrett recorded Fiddling With Dick Barrett for the Dart label, also issued as Album Number 1 (National Champion Fiddles). Christie Ann Barrett and Chris Hazelwood played guitar and Brett Barrett played bass. The 12 tracks include Forked Deer, Kiss Me Again Waltz, I Don’t Love Nobody, Leather Britches, Durango’s Hornpipe, Black and White Rag, and Dusty Miller. Later albums in the series carried the numbers 5 and 7.
Barrett moved into the senior divisions at Weiser and kept winning. He took the Senior division from 1988 to 1990 and the Senior-Senior division in 1994, 1995, 1996, 1998, 1999, and 2002. The Texas Fiddlers Hall of Fame in Hallettsville inducted him in 2004 with Bill Lyell and Bartow Riley.
Playing style
Barrett’s 1971 album is a map of the Texas contest set: a breakdown, a waltz, a rag, and a hornpipe, all in the long-bow style. He played the harmony fiddle parts on his own record as well as the lead. His contest rounds on video show a smooth bow arm and a steady dance tempo with the melody kept clear under the variations.
Influences and legacy
Barrett came up in the same Texas contest world as Benny Thomasson. At Weiser he traded titles with Herman Johnson through the 1970s and lost the 1974 title to Thomasson. The generation that followed, starting with Mark O’Connor in 1979, grew up hearing his rounds. His senior division wins kept him on the Weiser stage for three more decades.
Signature tunes and songs
I Don’t Love Nobody Leather Britches Black and White Rag Forked Deer Dusty Miller.
Essential recordings
Fiddling With Dick Barrett (Dart, 1971)
Awards and honors
National Oldtime Fiddlers’ Contest, Grand National Champion (1971, 1972, 1975, 1976) Grand Master Fiddler Championship (1973) National Oldtime Fiddlers’ Contest, Senior division (1988, 1989, 1990) National Oldtime Fiddlers’ Contest, Senior-Senior division (1994, 1995, 1996, 1998, 1999, 2002) Texas Fiddlers Hall of Fame (2004)
Watch and listen
Barrett plays a contest round at the Taste of Colorado in 1992. Watch how little his bow arm moves and how the tune stays at dance tempo.
What to learn from Barrett
Learn I Don’t Love Nobody from the 1971 album. It is a Texas rag with a simple melody, so you can hear how Barrett builds a round from small changes rather than flashy runs. The technique to steal is his bow economy. Play the tune with long strokes, slurring three or four notes per stroke, and keep the tempo where a dancer could follow it.
Sources
National Oldtime Fiddlers’ Contest champions, University of Idaho Library Dick Barrett, National Oldtime Fiddlers’ Collection, University of Idaho Library National winners and Top Senior winners, 1981, University of Idaho Library Past winners, Grand Master Fiddler Championship Texas Fiddlers Hall of Fame, Fiddlers’ Frolics Dick Barrett, Fiddling With Dick Barrett, Discogs Dick Barrett, Album Number 1 (National Champion Fiddles), Discogs
Related players
See the fiddle players hub and the bluegrass fiddle guide for more contest fiddlers. Barrett’s rivals at Weiser were Herman Johnson and Benny Thomasson. Vernon Solomon won the Grand Master title the year before him, and Mark O’Connor took over Weiser after him.