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Henry C. Gilliland

1845-1924
Country
A.k.a. Henry Clay Gilliland

Born 11 March 1845 near Granby in Newton County, Missouri-died April 1924 Altus, Oklahoma Henry Gilliland ranks as one of the very earliest-born fiddle players to have left any sound recordings for posterity. Today, most people who have heard of Gilliland know of him because his name appeared on the record label for two tunes recorded with Eck Robertson, “Arkansas Traveller,” and “Turkey in the Straw.” But regionally, in his native Texas and in his adopted state of Oklahoma, Henry Gilliland was a renowned fiddler even in the 19th century. He was only 8 years old when his family began the long westward trek bound for California. The family reached Weatherford in Parker County, Texas in the fall of 1854 where his father died in 1855. Weatherford was situated in hostile Comanche territory and in protecting his family the young Henry Gilliland found himself involved in a number of skirmishes and narrow escapes that he later recounted in writing. During the Civil War, Gilliland enlisted in the 2nd Texas Cavalry and later transferred to the 21st Infantry. Before enlisting however, he took advantage of having charge of his brother’s fiddle while the younger Gilliland was away serving the Confederacy, and thus began his lifelong association with oldtime music. In June, 1922, Henry Gilliland and the much younger Eck Robertson, who were probably already well-acquainted, were both in attendance at the Confederate Reunion in Richmond, Virginia. The story of their legendary visit to the Victor Recording studios and their pioneering first recording is recounted elsewhere.

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