Lee Edwin Stripling (August 30, 1921 – April 20, 2009) was a singer and fiddler in the old-time style. Stripling was born in Kennedy,

Alabama (We dare defend our rights) , anthem = "Alabama" , image_map = Alabama in United States.svg , seat = Montgomery , LargestCity = Huntsville , LargestCounty = Baldwin County , LargestMetro = Greater Birmingham , area_total_km2 = 135,765 ...

to Charlie and Tellie Stripling. His father, Charlie Stripling (1896–1966), was a well-known fiddler of his day. Lee played in the 1920s and 1930s in the

American Southeast The Southeastern United States, also referred to as the American Southeast or simply the Southeast, is a geographical region of the United States. It is located broadly on the eastern portion of the southern United States and the southern por ...

; in the early 1940s, he switched to

Western Swing Western swing music is a subgenre of American country music that originated in the late 1920s in the West and South among the region's Western string bands. It is dance music, often with an up-tempo beat, which attracted huge crowds to dance ...

. Stripling served in the

Army Air Corps Army Air Corps may refer to the following army aviation corps: * Army Air Corps (United Kingdom), the army aviation element of the British Army * Philippine Army Air Corps (1935–1941) * United States Army Air Corps (1926–1942), or its p ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

. After the war, he stopped playing professionally and moved to

Seattle, Washington Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest region ...

, where he worked as a

bookbinder Bookbinding is the process of physically assembling a book of codex format from an ordered stack of ''signatures'', sheets of paper folded together into sections that are bound, along one edge, with a thick needle and strong thread. Cheaper, ...

for the

University of Washington The University of Washington (UW, simply Washington, or informally U-Dub) is a public research university in Seattle, Washington. Founded in 1861, Washington is one of the oldest universities on the West Coast; it was established in Seattl ...

. Following a hiatus of more than fifty years, he resumed his musical career, playing throughout the

Pacific Northwest The Pacific Northwest (sometimes Cascadia, or simply abbreviated as PNW) is a geographic region in western North America bounded by its coastal waters of the Pacific Ocean to the west and, loosely, by the Rocky Mountains to the east. Tho ...

Northwest Folklife Festival Northwest Folklife is an independent 501(c)(3) arts organization that celebrates the multigenerational arts, cultures, and traditions of a global Pacific Northwest. The Northwest Folklife Festival is an annual festival of ethnic, folk, and tradit ...

, MerleFest, The Berkeley Old Time Music Convention and touring several times through his old home region of Northwestern Alabama. He played with the Lee Stripling Trio and with the Six Footed Boys. He died on April 20, 2009, at the age of 87. He was married to Lucille (died 1998) with whom he had two daughters. A documentary featuring him, ''Winging My Way Back Home: The Stripling Fiddle Legacy'', was filmed over a three-year period by Jeri Vaughn.

Recordings

Hogs Picking Up Acorns
Voyager, VRCD349, 2000 * The Lee Stripling Trio

References

External links

Lee Stripling website
* YouTube performances
drawing of Lee Stripling

Trailer for ''Winging My Way Back Home''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Stripling, Lee American fiddlers Musicians from Seattle People from Lamar County, Alabama 1921 births 2009 deaths United States Army Air Forces soldiers United States Army personnel of World War II 20th-century American violinists