Faded Love – (Bill, Jack & Bob Wills) Alex DePue Fiddles ON

IT’S A NEW YEAR’S GIFT FOR YOU… SOME WESTERN SWING STRAIGHT FROM THE MAN WHO INVENTED IT, BOB WILLS & THE TEXAS PLAYBOYS

I’ve been wantin’ to let this go since 1999, but couldn’t afford any copyright issues with the ol’ Wills clan, know what I mean??  *grin*

I’ve been literally WAITING since 1999 to finally release this beautiful little tune, as until now, I just might have expected some “feedback” from the Wills family, and NO ONE wants that! lol. Now, After Bob Wills & The Texas Playboys (bet that was a fun bus?!) released the tune in 1950, it was soon picked up by Willie Nelson, just in case that says somethin’ more to ya about how cool HE is.

It has words, too, btw. The first time I ever got to know about that part of it, was in 1999 at Weiser’s Nat’l Fiddling Championship – out in the Stickerville Camp for we, the ones not quite put together enough for the MAIN stage (oooooo!) but we still drew folks from all around to hear us pick EVERY NIGHT that full third week in June, back in ’99.

Out of nowhere, this little blind girl joined our jam circle and chimed right on in with us, a fragile looking, yet POWERHOUSE country singer… the lyrics to the tune I didn’t know even existed until that very moment… another one of those very electrical, “feel good”, vibey celebrations with only the best around, of course, who would even dare enter our camp… just araisin’ HELL for all seven nights straight! We knew it was time to pack up each night whenever that sun would come back up over the Idaho mountains.

This is another one of those gems where I’m taking on, fulfilling the personnel for most of the band, playing both fiddles, elec. bass, drums, and two acoustic guitars (I had always wanted to learn that guitar part that comes in as a duo with the, at first, quite lonesome fiddle we hear start off this track… it makes for some PERFECT counterpoint… but sure, ever since Loretta Lynn’s staff fiddler made a tape for me back in the 80’s with Faded Love on it, along with other fiddle legends playing some of the most understandably great music we now get to hear… Dale Potter, anyone??

Now, with some digital power behind the mix, and a whole lot of wet whistles by the time this little two-step was over at the dance hall each night, I just cain’t stop listenin’ to it.

Many thanks to both of my mentors there in the MidWest, Bob Leidigh, and Kenny Sidle… Kenny held FIVE State Championship fiddling titles, all at the same time fiddle legends, too, just like ALL those Wills boys. Enjoy this New Year’s Gift for you… I’ve given up trying to get a dollar from ya. Just ENJOY… the groove is authentic, AND… the joy is contagious. But Do NOT, I repeat, do NOT… have ANY alcohol nearby, as ya fire this thing off, now… and in case IF’n you DO? Well, maybe you might leave us a small donation for The Fiddler, LLC as we struggle to keep the business afloat in THIS new year, AFTER the !@# hit the fan!

Faded Love, by Bill, Jack & Bob Wills… along with some very personal DePue memorabilia: Here’s ol’ Bob Leidigh, staff fiddler for Loretta Lynn for most of her career… a constant inspiration to the DePues because if we weren’t VERY careful, he’d WIN EVERY CONTEST IN THE STATE OF OHIO. Bob’d show up and everyone would start talkin’ about who was gonna get SECOND place! lol

bob leidigh

Another guy and just cannot NOT mention had right about that same effect on the elder DePue Bros. at least, and HIS name, was Kenny Sidle, a FIVE -STATE Champion at one point, holding all five titles in one fiddlin’ season. He went on to do real well in the Nat’l circuit, too, and was an honorary Judge for The DePue Bros. Int’l Fiddling Competition in 2010. That was another dream-sequence for the likes of me, “The Fiddler” ?? Really?? Naw… THESE GUYS… they were the true, REAL THING. I was only ever just a wanna be, next to these fellas. Here’s Kenny… he’s got one of those green signs erected by the Gov’t there in Newark, Ohio. On it is etched into the metal, “Home of Kenny Sidle – a Historic Champion Fiddler & National Treasure”. That’s what I like to see. Just some folks who care about what we’ve been tryin’ ta do for ya all these years!! lol

Now, ya did READ that, huh. Do me this favor, will ya? LISTEN to it! It’s HISTORY, literally being written as I type this post! Here’s that promised photo of Kenny, lookin’ just as I remember… RIP, good friend & teacher: 

kenny sidle

I’ll bet that daily fiddle jam is just off the charts up there in heaven.

Alex DePue

CEO - The Fiddler, LLC and if our beloved Niccol Paganini were born once again on THIS day? Perhaps his name would be Alex DePue ...because on THIS night, he will be exactly that, for us, and for all of Italy! Alex DePue, Violinist