Randy Howard
I Rest My Case
Sugar Hill Records
By Kevin Minihan
 When
one thinks legendary fiddlers, the name Randy Howard may not
immediately come to mind. But to those within the fiddling community,
Randy is known as one of the best ever. Although he won almost
all of the prestigious fiddling contests multiple times (at 18,
he was the youngest ever to win the 'World Champion' title at
the old Union Grove, NC contest, and he won the Tennessee Old-Time
Fiddle contest 4 times), Randy never wanted to be a star. Instead
of pursuing fame and fortune as a solo artist, he pursued the
dream of being a successful studio musician. It took him a little
while to get to Nashville (finally moving there at age 28 through
the coaxing of family and friends) but it didn't take too long
for the town to take notice of Howard's abilities. He ended
up playing on sessions with the likes of Garth Brooks, Shelby
Lynne, George Jones, Tammy Wynette and many others.
Unfortunately, the 'king of the fiddle battles' could not
beat one final competitor, cancer. Mr. Howard passed away in
1999 at the age of 38. Before his death, he was able to finish
work on a rare solo effort. Sugar Hill Records has posthumously
released his final work, aptly titled I Rest My Case.
One sure-fire way to tell if a soloist is the real deal is
to keep an eye on what I like to call the 'show-off' factor.
The wannabe's like to go overboard and squeeze in every trick
in the book to show their prowess. The real pros let the music
flow naturally from the soul. Real players make it look -- and
more importantly -- sound so easy and effortless while the wannbe's
come off as painfully desperate. The most overlooked talent
of a master musician is that they know when not to play. They
make the other musicians sound even better. Randy Howard was
a master musician.
Howard shows this perfectly on the title track. He carries
the upbeat melody and, while laying down his share of solos,
lets his backing band add the pyrotechnics. Jerry Douglas' dobro
work on this track is simply awe inspiring. Sam Bush lends his
mandolin work to a couple of tracks including "Way Back
When," a swaying mid-tempo instrumental that stirs up visions
of a bunch of old musicians sitting in a circle and trading licks
at a summer social.
Along with the instrumental tunes, there are a few a songs
with great vocals. Carl Jackson and Kathy Chiavola harmonize
beautifully on Dan Fogelberg's "Leader of the Band."
The lyrics are even more powerful when one realizes Howard's
fight with cancer was in full force at the time.
The leader of the band is tired
And his eyes are growing old
But his blood runs through my instrument
His song is in my soul
Randy's subtle yet amazing fiddle work is in full bloom on
this disc. He runs through different playing styles -- classic
country to swing and bluegrass -- with ease and confidence.
The accomplished musicians playing alongside make the songs even
stronger. It's too bad he was taken at such a young age.
We all remember the saying, "They must have a hell of
a band up in heaven." Well, they added a strong player
to the string section back in 1999.
*www.sugarhillrecords.com
Contact Kevin Minihan at minihan-at-rockzilla.net
|
