The Barber’s Fiddle
Becky Buller and Lynda Dawson
Based on true events, “The Barber’s Fiddle,” written by Becky Buller and Lynda Dawson, has become a signature story song for Buller and the Becky Buller Band. Indeed, since its release in 2020 (Distance & Time, Dark Shadow Recording), it has become a celebrated event thanks to a heart-warming response from fans, an accompanying video by Dark Shadow Recording’s Stephen Mougin and all-star fiddle playing by—brace yourself—18 of the bluegrass world’s finest fiddlers. The song hit #1 on the Bluegrass Unlimited National Survey Airplay Chart in April 2021 and spent nine weeks—one at #1—on the Bluegrass Today Weekly Airplay Chart. In a gesture of peer and industry approval, “The Barber’s Fiddle” also became the 2020 IBMA Collaborative Recording of the Year.
Layers of Inspiration
The seed for the song was planted by a fan who shared a story at the record table. “Someone came to me at Dollywood and said, ‘I have this song idea for you,’” recalled Buller, who filed away what she heard that day. “It was about a barber who played the fiddle. He tried to make a living with his fiddle, and when it didn’t work out, he came home. He hocked his fiddle for a haircut, so he’d look presentable to his family when he came crawling back.”
Along with the character in that first story, Buller would draw inspiration for the song from the experiences of two other sure-enough fiddlin’ barbers. The late Gene Boyd was the owner of Star Barber Shop located on State Street in Bristol, Tennessee/Virginia (State Street the Virginia side). “We used his name and his shop in the song,” said Buller of Boyd, a friend she knew well thanks to his passion for bluegrass. “He helped a lot of young people get into bluegrass. He hosted a jam session every Thursday, and I would hang there while I was in school at East Tennessee State. Customers knew that if they came in on a Thursday morning, they had better leave plenty of time. Gene might interrupt their hair cut to play a tune.”
Mr. Gene, as he would be dubbed in the song, passed away several years ago, but Buller was grateful to have had the opportunity to sing the finished song for him beforehand while he was in the hospital.
Billy Womack from Woodbury, Tennessee, was another fiddlin’ barber influential to the song. “I didn’t get to meet him,” said Buller, “but he played in a band with my father-in-law called The Bluegrass Five and he taught my brother-in-law to play the guitar.”
A Special First Cowrite
With these influences in mind, Buller sat down with fellow musician and songwriter Lynda Dawson for what turned out to be a delightful first cowrite. “Becky came here to the old farmhouse that we had at the time,” shared Dawson. “We had the house to ourselves for the day and we went into songwriter creative land together. We’ve written together again since because we have a similar expectation from a song. We push each other, but with trust and respect.”
With Buller contributing the story and the emotions behind the idea, Dawson got things rolling with a fiddle-esque chorus melody. “We knew the fiddle was the point of the story, so when the chorus came together (fiddle up high, fiddle down low), it had to sound like a fiddle.”
In four verses that lead well into the summary chorus, “The Barber’s Fiddle” is a clear, followable tale. Verse one sets the scene with the young boy coming in for a haircut and spotting, from the barber’s chair, a fiddle. Verse two finds the barber (Mr. Gene) happily telling the story behind the instrument (that’s a tale I like to tell). We learn about the young man who came into a barber shop (with a fiddle and a dream to sell) and, shattered by the music business, gave his fiddle to the barber, who, in return, trimmed him up to face his family with the news that he was starting over (They warned me it would end this way).
By the end of the final verse, we know that the man who pawned his fiddle that day was Mr. Gene, who went on to become a barber himself and a teacher to one inquisitive boy whose curiosity paid off (And now I’m living out his dream / Because he taught me how to play).
“There isn’t a lot of time and space in a song,” said Dawson, who credited Buller for concise verse lyrics. “The inspiration was there, so we concentrated on getting key elements in and using each verse to move the story forward. Becky is specific in her word choices so that you get the most bang for your buck.”
Buller confessed that she finds joy in such a challenge, “When somebody gives you a story like this, it’s a beautifully wrapped present with a huge bow on top. All you have to do is put it in rhyme and meter. Everything we needed was right there, with a bit of my life experience thrown in.”
The finished song is lighthearted and poignant, with elements of sadness and beauty. “He didn’t get to live out his dream,” said Buller, “but he shared his passion for music with everybody who came in the shop including the narrator of the song, the younger fiddler that he mentored. The barber’s dream is living on to inspire others.”
The Recording and Accompanying Video
Rather than pitching to other artists, Buller saved “The Barber’s Fiddle” until she could record it herself. A good call, according to Dawson, who said of Buller’s recording and accompanying video, “With her version, she brought it to life. It’s one thing to write a song; it’s another to put it out in a way that allows a lot of people to hear it and be touched by it. Becky did that and I’m grateful to her.”
The recording features perfectly placed triple fiddles, lead licks by seven of the guest fiddlers, and banjo, guitar and mandolin rides by B^3 members. The video brings to life the song’s story and the masterful art of fiddling. Set in Cutshaw’s Barber Shop (in Buller’s adopted hometown of Manchester, Tennessee), it’s full of meaningful memorabilia that includes photos with Boyd and Buller, a photo of Boyd and Curly Seckler (Flatt & Scruggs, The Foggy Mountain Boys), Curly’s son Ray Seckler as the barber, Buller’s fiddle case, and an album spinning on the turntable featuring the playing of Billy Womack.
“Mojo [Stephen Mougin] put together a beautiful video,” said Buller. “He managed to get footage of all 18 fiddlers, footage from the studio, and current and past members of my band who were playing on that cut as well. And we managed to get that entire album recorded before the pandemic hit. I’m grateful that God allowed us that grace.”
In addition to Buller’s playing, the track features fiddling by Nate Lee, Prof. Dan Boner, Jason Carter, Sam Bush, Katie Penn, Laurie Lewis, Shawn Camp, Stuart Duncan, Michael Cleveland, Jason Barie, Bronwyn Keith-Hynes, Johnny Warren, Laura Orshaw, Deanie Richardson, Brian Christianson, Fred Carpenter and Tyler Andal.
Lewis, who contributed vocals with Buller on the verses, called her a “terrific fiddler and a fine artist” and added, “I’m a sucker for songs about fiddles and fiddlers, and it was an honor to be part of this group.”
Carter, who also sang on the track along with Lewis, Camp, Bush, and Penn, expressed feeling honored to sing and play with a who’s who of bluegrass fiddlers, “It was probably one of the only times we’ve had that many legendary fiddlers together on the same track,” he noted. “I was glad to be part of it.”
Since its release, Buller has played “The Barber’s Fiddle” on significant stages. In addition to Mr. Gene’s hospital room, she played it during the Welcome Party at the 2022 World of Bluegrass (Lincoln Theatre, Raleigh, North Carolina) and in the most famous circle of all during her 2021 Grand Ole Opry debut. Buller and B^3 are sure to keep playing “The Barber’s Fiddle” on stages large and small as fans continue to request it and it keeps bringing joy to her own heart.
Dawson is an accomplished performer and songwriter and currently serves as membership coordinator for PineCone, the Piedmont Council of Traditional Music. Buller is a noted songwriter whose songs have appeared on multiple Grammy-winning albums. Since Distance & Time, she has released a Christmas album, The Perfect Gift, and has new music slated for release early this year. Learn more about Buller and experience the incredible video for “The Barber’s Fiddle” by visiting beckybuller.com.
