Vernon Solomon was a Texas contest fiddler and the first champion of the Grand Master Fiddler Championship, which he won in Nashville in 1972. He was one of four Solomons inducted into the Texas Fiddlers Hall of Fame, and he shared the 1965 County Records album Texas Hoedown with Benny Thomasson and Bartow Riley.
Why Solomon matters
Every Grand Master champion since 1972 follows Solomon. He won the first one in a final that put four Texans in the top four, which told the country that the Nashville contest would be judged by Texas rules. His tracks on Texas Hoedown sit beside Thomasson’s on the record that carried Texas contest style to fiddlers outside the state.
Life and career
Solomon’s public record is a contest and recording record. In September 1965 County Records released Texas Hoedown, produced and recorded by Charles Faurot, with 14 tracks split among Solomon, Thomasson, and Riley. Solomon’s five tunes were Sally Johnson, Cripple Creek, Sunnyside, Beaumont Rag, and Sopping the Gravy.
In 1972 he won the first Grand Master Fiddler Championship. The contest’s own results list him first, Dick Barrett second, Larry Franklin third, and Louis Franklin fourth.
In 1978 he recorded Texas Breakdown for Davis Unlimited, a 12-track album with twin fiddle from Ricky Solomon and a full rhythm section. The tunes include Grey Eagle, Sally Goodin, Leather Britches, and two waltzes. Bill Northcutt, a Texas Fiddlers Hall of Fame member, wrote the liner notes.
The Texas Fiddlers Hall of Fame at the Fiddlers’ Frolics in Hallettsville inducted Solomon in 1992, the same year as Norman Solomon. Ervin Solomon had entered in 1981 and Betty Solomon followed in 2005. In 2004 Old Blue Records released The Solomon Family, a 20-track CD produced by Faurot that gathers recordings by Vernon, Norman, Ervin, Jim, and Mike Solomon. Vernon’s tracks include Black and White Rag, Lone Star Rag, Lost Train Blues, and Ft. Worth Rag, plus Liberty played with Norman.
Playing style
Solomon’s tune list on record is a Texas contest set in full: breakdowns like Sally Johnson and Grey Eagle, rags like Beaumont Rag and Lone Star Rag, hornpipes, and waltzes. On Texas Breakdown he added a second fiddle for twin harmony, which was the sound of Texas dance halls in the 1970s. Four of his tracks on the family CD are rags, and the rag feel, with the bow leaning on the off beat over moving chords, runs through his records.
Influences and legacy
Solomon came out of a fiddling family. The Solomon Family CD places him beside Ervin, Norman, Jim, and Mike Solomon. He recorded beside Benny Thomasson, and Norman Solomon was Thomasson’s contest rival. His 1972 final put him ahead of Dick Barrett and Louis Franklin, which ties him to the Franklin family as well. Major Franklin and Eck Robertson share the Hallettsville roll with him.
Signature tunes and songs
Sally Johnson Beaumont Rag Lone Star Rag Sopping the Gravy Cripple Creek Liberty.
Essential recordings
Texas Hoedown, with Benny Thomasson and Bartow Riley (County, 1965) Texas Breakdown (Davis Unlimited, 1978) The Solomon Family, with Norman, Ervin, Jim, and Mike Solomon (Old Blue, 2004)
Awards and honors
Grand Master Fiddler Championship (1972) Texas Fiddlers Hall of Fame (1992)
Watch and listen
Solomon plays Sally Johnson, the tune he cut for Texas Hoedown in 1965. Listen for the long bow and the variations that keep the melody in view.
Solomon plays Lone Star Rag in twin fiddle with Michael Solomon. Listen to how the harmony part shadows the lead through the rag rhythm.
What to learn from Solomon
Learn Sally Johnson from the Texas Hoedown track. It is a contest breakdown that every Texas-style judge expects. The technique to steal is his rag feel. Play Beaumont Rag or Lone Star Rag with the bow leaning on the off beat and the chords moving under it, and keep the tempo where a dancer could follow. Texas rags are where contest fiddling meets swing.
Sources
Past winners, Grand Master Fiddler Championship 1972 results, Grand Master Fiddler Championship Texas Fiddlers Hall of Fame, Fiddlers’ Frolics Bartow Riley, Vernon Solomon, Benny Thomasson, Texas Hoedown, Discogs Vernon Solomon, Texas Breakdown, Discogs The Solomon Family, The Solomon Family, Discogs
Related players
See the fiddle players hub and the bluegrass fiddle guide for more Texas contest fiddlers. Solomon shared a record with Benny Thomasson, a hall of fame class with Norman Solomon, and the first Grand Master final with Dick Barrett and Louis Franklin.