Tommy Jarrell

Thomas Jefferson Jarrell (March 1, 1901 – January 28, 1985) was an American fiddler, banjo player, and singer from the Mount Airy region of North Carolina's Appalachian Mountains.

Biography He was born in Surry County, North Carolina, United States. That year's fellowships were the first bestowed by the NEA, and are considered the United States government's highest honor in the folk and traditional arts.

Jarrell's style was notable for its expressive use of syncopation and sliding ornamentation, and he was adept at singing while playing. His formidable technique and rough timbre continue to influence modern aficionados of Appalachian old-time music and in particular the Round Peak style of clawhammer banjo.

Jarrell married Nina Lowe in 1923; she died on February 13, 1967. They had three children: Ardena ("Dena"), b. 1925; Clarence ("Wayne"), b. 1927; and Benjamin Franklin ("B. F."), b. 1933.

Legacy Jarrell's first fiddle, which he bought for $10, is now in the collection of the Smithsonian Institution. and My Old Fiddle: A Visit with Tommy Jarrell in the Blue Ridge. He also featured in the 2002 DVD Legends of Old Time Music.

An annual festival, established in 2002 as the Tommy Jarrell Celebration, is held in Mount Airy, North Carolina.

Selected discography 1976 - Sail Away Ladies. Tommy Jarrell. County Records 1986 - Been Riding with Old Mosby. Frank Bode with Tommy Jarrell and Paul Brown. Folkways Records