SMITH, FIDDLIN' ARTHUR
(1898–1971)
SMITH, FIDDLIN' ARTHUR (b. Bold Springs, Tenn., April 10, 1898–February 28, 1971) Not to be confused with his younger, guitar-picking namesake, Fiddlin' Arthur Smith was one of the first modern-styled fiddlers who brought jazz and swing influences to traditional country playing. He was also a smooth vocalist, and his recordings were well loved and influential throughout the old-time music community of the South. Smith was a railroad worker who, in the early 1930s, joined with the McGee Brothers…