Old Time Resources in the Upper Midwest
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Minnesota Bluegrass and Old Time Music Association
The mission of the Minnesota Bluegrass & Old-Time Music Association (MBOTMA) is to preserve and promote bluegrass and old-time stringband music in and around the state of Minnesota.
This non-profit organization presents three festivals each year which all feature old time music workshops, dances, and concerts. MBOTMA also presents a variety of jam sessions and other special events.
Each August, they also run an Old Time Instructional Camp in the days preceding the annual August Festival (held the second full weekend in August).
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Minnesota State Fiddlers Association
The MSFA is a volunteer-led organization that sponsors or supports a wide variety of fiddling activities, including in-person and virtual jams and tune workshops and festivals for beginning and intermediate fiddlers of all ages.
The MSFA John Wallace Mini Grant program has sponsored fiddle contests and workshops as well as offered scholarships for fiddlers attending other fiddle workshops or camps.
They also offer a monthly electronic newsletter with info on all things fiddle that are coming up, and have put together some great resources on Minnesota fiddle history!
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Bluff Country Gathering
The Bluff Country Gathering is a four-day event presenting traditional American music, dance and singing styles held annually in Lanesboro, MN the weekend before Memorial Day weekend.
Workshops, conducted by a staff of nationally acclaimed musicians, singers, dancers and folklorists, take place Friday and Saturday and are designed to pass along the traditions of old-time music to participants at all levels of experience.
There is also a concert Friday night and a square dance Saturday that is open to the public.
Old Time Music and Dance Collections
click the arrows below to check out some collections of audio, video, and written resources about old time music and dance from the midwest and beyond. These resources were compiled and shared by presenters at the 2025 Twin Town Old Time Music Festival.
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Joe Johnson’s African American Banjo Resource Guide at the Library of Congress: https://guides.loc.gov/African-american-banjo
Information on the earliest known banjo: http://www.musicalpassage.org/
Linda Henry's collection of recordings of Gribble, Lusk, and York: https://www.gribbleluskandyork.org/
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Where to find recordings of fiddler and National Heritage Fellow Dwight Lamb:
You Tube just search for Dwight Lamb and there is a ton of videos. Search for Dwight Lamb, Kristian Bugge, Mette Jensen to find Danish stuff
Missouri Valley Music website: free downloads available are: Dwight Lamb-Danish & American Melodies, Dwight Lamb “80”, Dwight Lamb and Elvin Campbell “Old Time Fiddle Classics”
Field Recorders Collective/North American Traditional Series
Dwight’s Anthology Collection Private
List of existing Dwight Lamb recordings and where to find them:Old Time Fiddlin Left Handed Style, 1968, LP
Old Time Fiddlin 2 Left Handed Style, 1973, LP
Old Ladies Pickin Chickens, Cassette. This cassette is the LP Old Time Fiddlin Left Handed Style on side A and side B is volume 2 Old Time Fiddle Left Handed Style.
Old Time Fiddle Classics, CD. This is Old Time Fiddlin Left Handed Style Volumes 1 & 2 and is FREE to DOWNLOAD on missourivalleymusic.com
Dwight Lamb-Danish & American Melodies, CD. Available as a FREE DOWNLOAD on missourivalleymusic.com
Dwight Lamb “80”, CD. Available as a FREE DOWNLOAD on missourivalleymusic.com
Live in Denmark with Kristian Bugge & Mette Jensen Staerk, 2010, CD.
Live in Denmark, 2013, CD. feat. Kristian Bugge & Mette Jensen Staerk, Morten Alfred Hoirup, Anders Ringaard. Findable on You Tube
Joseph Won a Coated Fiddle. Out of print. Rounder North American Tradition series. Can be found on Youtube and on the Field Recorders Collective website.
Hell Agin the Barn Door, CD. Out of print but can be found on the Field Recorders Collective website.
Additionally, two projects Dwight worked on:
Bob Walters, The Champion. Out of print but will be available for download in the future. It can be found on the Field Recorders Collective website.
Cyril Stinnett DVD Legendary Missouri Fiddler
Field Recorders Collective website:
To find Dwight Lamb and Bob Walters recordings:
Go to NAT COLLECTION > NAT RESEARCH ARCHIVE > Original Sessions Published Projects > Ozark and Midwest Sessions Lamb, Dwight Hell Agin
Lamb, Dwight the Barn Door
Walters, Bob and his Joseph Won a Coated Fiddle
Fiddle circle, Tekemah, NE Walters, Bob
The Champion volume 1
The Champion volume 2
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On Dosido’s Fiddlers Reunion website:
Home: https://drdosido.net/drd30/homepage.html
Finding aid to field recordings: https://drdosido.net/drd30/br-finding.html
Indiana Fiddlers
Lotus Dickey Repertoire
Great Lakes Fiddlers
Chicago Fiddlers
Fiddlers From Here and There
Old 78s: https://drdosido.net/ddcd/drd-old78s.html
Published Albums by Midwestern Artists (under construction): https://drdosido.net/drdmid/drd-populist.html
Ozarks Traditional Music: The Gordon McCann Collection
Home: https://guides.library.missouristate.edu/c.php?g=701771&p=4980280
Recordings on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLyugBRJhQ4ExvnWqxI_XNsVuoPKxQQZ-t
Missouri Traditional Fiddle & Dance Network: https://mofiddledance.org/
Music Examples: https://mofiddledance.org/music/
Biographical profiles: https://mofiddledance.org/profiles/
Introduction to Traditional Dance: https://mofiddledance.org/introduction-missouri-traditional-dance/
Square dance calls: https://mofiddledance.org/category/dances/
Missouri State Old Time Fiddlers Association:
Bandcamp Page: https://missourifiddling.bandcamp.com/
Old Town School (Chicago)
Resource Center: https://www.oldtownschool.org/resourcecenter/
Field Recorders Collective: https://fieldrecorder.org/about-frc/
FRC Store: https://fieldrecorder.org/shop/
FRC Bandcamp page: https://fieldrecorder.bandcamp.com/
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Mike’s site:
Wisconsin Fiddler Leonard Finseth Collection:
https://search.library.wisc.edu/digital/AFinseth
Renee Vaughn’s Scandinavian Music in the Upper Midwest project:
Beth Hoven Rotto’s exhibit:
https://vesterheim.org/exhibit/hand-me-down-the-fiddle/
Minnesota Fiddler Elmo Wick project: