country music
Country (also called country and western) is a genre of popular music that originated in the Southern and Southwestern United States in the early 1920s. It primarily derives from blues, church music such as Southern gospel and spirituals, o ...
duo, comprising fiddler Charlie Melvin Stripling (August 8, 1896–January 19, 1966) and his guitar-playing brother Ira Lee Stripling (June 5, 1898–March 11, 1967). They recorded in the late 1920s and 1930s. Charlie Stripling is regarded as "one of the most important American old-time fiddlers."
Biography
The brothers were born in
Pickens County, Alabama
Pickens County is a county located on the west central border of the U.S. state of Alabama. As of the 2020 census, the population was 19,123. Its county seat is Carrollton, located in the center of the county. It is a prohibition, or dry count ...
, among eight children of Thomas Newton Stripling and Sarah E. Robertson. Charlie acquired a fiddle in his teens, and learned tunes from a neighbor, "Plez" Carroll. His younger brother Ira bought a guitar to accompany him, and together the duo began to win local small-town fiddling competitions. Charlie Stripling married in 1919, settling in the town of
Kennedy
Kennedy may refer to:
People
* John F. Kennedy (1917–1963), 35th president of the United States
* John Kennedy (Louisiana politician), (born 1951), US Senator from Louisiana
* Kennedy (surname), a family name (including a list of persons with ...
, and as a tenant farmer welcomed the cash income from winning competitions. He developed his skills "to a degree that few in the area could match", and the pair started to perform more widely. Joyce Cauthen, "Charlie Stripling", ''Encyclopedia of Alabama'' Retrieved 30 August 2020
In November 1928, the
Brunswick-Balke-Collender Company
Brunswick Corporation, formerly known as the Brunswick-Balke-Collender Company, is an American corporation that has been developing, manufacturing and marketing a wide variety of products since 1845. Today, Brunswick has more than 13,000 employ ...
, owner of
Vocalion Records
Vocalion Records is an American record company and label.
History
The label was founded in 1916 by the Aeolian Company, a maker of pianos and organs, as Aeolian-Vocalion; the company also sold phonographs under the Vocalion name. "Aeolian" was ...
, set up a temporary
recording studio
A recording studio is a specialized facility for sound recording, mixing, and audio production of instrumental or vocal musical performances, spoken words, and other sounds. They range in size from a small in-home project studio large en ...
at the Bankhead Hotel in
Birmingham, Alabama
Birmingham ( ) is a city in the north central region of the U.S. state of Alabama. Birmingham is the seat of Jefferson County, Alabama's most populous county. As of the 2021 census estimates, Birmingham had a population of 197,575, down 1% fr ...
, and invited local musicians to audition. The Stripling Brothers recorded two tunes, including "The Lost Child", which later formed the basis of the popular tune "Black Mountain Rag". The brothers also appeared on local radio station WAPI, and their popularity spread. Charlie Stripling began composing his own syncopated tunes or "ragtime breakdowns", often based on current pop songs, playing them at
square dance
A square dance is a dance for four couples, or eight dancers in total, arranged in a square, with one couple on each side, facing the middle of the square. Square dances contain elements from numerous traditional dances and were first documente ...
s in mining towns and elsewhere. In 1929, the brothers traveled to
Chicago
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
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where they recorded ten further tunes for Vocalion, including two vocal recordings, "Weeping Willow" and "Railroad Bum". Stripling Brothers, ''Alabama Music Office'' Retrieved 30 August 2020
The pair made further recordings for
Decca Records
Decca Records is a British record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis. Its U.S. label was established in late 1934 by Lewis, Jack Kapp, American Decca's first president, and Milton Rackmil, who later became American Decca's president. ...
in
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the U ...
Allmusic
AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the dat ...
:
The sides they released reflect the rich (and otherwise un-recorded) fiddle traditions of their home in West Alabama; they also showcase the unique abilities of that area's most accomplished fiddler.... Their later recordings incorporated increasing pop influences, reflecting the evolution of dance styles and musical tastes. Though the Striplings may have asserted a mostly regional influence, the number of recordings they made -- on both sides of the Depression -- and the virtuosity of the playing attest to their stature as performers. Biography by Burgin Mathews, ''Allmusic.com'' Retrieved 30 August 2020
Charlie Stripling's wife died in 1934; he remarried, but his growing family, with nine children in all, meant that he could not afford time away from his farm. Similarly, Ira could no longer afford to pay for an employee to cover his absences from work. Their recording career ended, though Charlie continued to play locally, `often accompanied by two of his sons, Robert Clifton Stripling and
Lee Edwin Stripling
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 to Charlie and Tellie Stripling. His father, Charlie Stripling (1896–1966), was a well-known fidd ...
. After his sons left 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 World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...
, Charlie Stripling formed a band that played for large dances in the region. His health began to fail in the 1950s, and he died in 1966, aged 69. Ira Stripling died the following year, aged 68.
In 1971, a collection of the Stripling Brothers' recordings was issued by
County Records
County Records was a Virginia-based independent American record label founded by David Freeman in 1963. The label specialised in old-time and traditional bluegrass music.
History
Old-time music collector David Freeman started the County Record ...
. The duo's complete recorded works were issued by
Document Records
Document Records is an independent record label, founded in Austria and now based in Scotland, that specializes in reissuing vintage blues and jazz. The company has been recognised by The Blues Foundation, being honoured with a Keeping the B ...
Country Music Hall of Fame
The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in Nashville, Tennessee, is one of the world's largest museums and research centers dedicated to the preservation and interpretation of American vernacular music. Chartered in 1964, the museum has amas ...