Research trip to the Oklahoma Historical Society

Hi, my name is Paul. I am an old-time fiddler, tunesmith, teacher, author, and historian. I am fundraising to do research for a book on Marion Thede and the Oklahoma fiddlers.

I have been intensely interested in The Fiddle Book by Marion Thede for decades. The book was published in 1967, but only a handful of the 137 tunes in the book are known and played today. Why is that? Most fiddlers don't read music and learn tunes from printed sources, so I have made recordings of the tunes for Larry Warren's Slippery-Hill, have recorded many of the tunes and have featured them on my Old-Time TOTW series on YouTube

Tunes From The Fiddle Book

In doing all of this, I have connected with family members and descendants of the fiddlers from whom Ms. Thede collected tunes from. I've also discovered a lot about Thede and the fiddlers she featured. Their stories deserve to be told, and the tunes deserve to be kept alive and passed on.

I have gotten as far as I can, however, and a trip to Oklahoma to uncover even more information is essential to continue my research.

I am planning to go to the Oklahoma Historical Society in July 2023, and I need your help. It is difficult for me to ask for help, but many friends have encouraged me to set up a GoFundMe. I will use the money as an ongoing source for this project along with any grants that might be available.

Your support in this endeavor is greatly appreciated.