It’s time to play the music!
It’s time to light the lights!
Welcome, everyone, to the 2018 Golden Lion awards! These awards are given annually to reward contributions to our private “Lion’s Den” forum. To view all of the amazing contributions, please log in and visit this wonderful community of fiddlers!
[WILD CHEERING, FOOT STOMPING]
Thank you, thank you. First, I would like to say an extremely big THANK YOU to moderator Great Scott who has gone to all the trouble of catalouging and researching all the entries. It took a huge amoung of work, for which we are all very grateful!
[CROWD ERUPTS INTO CHEERS]
Well, another year has passed and we find ourselves once again gathered to award the most prestigious fiddle award on the internet… The GOLDEN LION!
[CROWD ROARS]
Sorry for the wait before going live. The network bumped us back by one hour due a conflict with this week’s “I Love Lucy” marathon. However, I trust you all enjoyed your meal of fried chicken, pickles, and sweet tea. Please, let’s give a round of applause for our service staff as they bring out our last course – coffee and deep-fried snickers bars.
[POLITE APPLAUSE]
And now for the moment you have all been waiting for. The presentation of the Golden Lions!
First, I would like to give Honorable Mention to the brave fiddlers who entered the Lions Den in 2018 but are not being presented with an award. Please forgive us if we missed any contributers or tunes, or misspelled anything! Audience, please hold your applause until the end of the list. Here they are, in order of volume:
Nagumaq Native Fusion — With Fiddle / Gu’s Blue Winter With Jazz / Mappemonte / Marian Martie Virginian / Looping Improvisation Fun / Busby’s Theme Song / Loop Station Improvisation / Not Really Composition
Rodger Five Foot Two / Por Una Cabeza / Maiden’s Prayer / Church Duet / I Came To The Garden
Pipcan Canon in D / Canon in D / Canon in D / Other classical piece
Robin123 What a Friend We Have In Jesus / As The Deer / Tennessee Waltz
Joe Jammin’ with Jana Jae / Norwegian Waltz / I Passed By Your Door
Nancy Bitter Old Joe Clark
Jeff Craft Drunkard’s Hiccups
Leon (Leon’s grandson) The Lover’s Waltz
Boerge Old Joe Clark
Kjdebolt Swing Low
Desiree Sheehan Much Too Young
Icebike Oj Pidu Ja Szicher Wicher
Cody Foster He Giveth More Grace
Jim Bradley Mouth of the Tobiqui
Thank you all for your excellent contributions!
[CROWD ROARS IN APPRECIATION]
And now, time to give out the Golden Lions! This year we have five awards to give out. Gentlemen… Bring up the envelopes!
1: ENCOURAGEMENT AWARD This is also called the “Moderator’s Award” and is sponsored by Great Scott. This award is presented to the BGD member who has shown steady improvement and commitment to learning. This year we are giving the award to two members, both of whom have put much effort into moving to the next level! The prize for this award is a $30 gift certificate to The Fiddle Shop, which will be awarded by email within a few days. Congratulations to Fran H and Steve Srader!!!
Fran H Faded Love / Angeline the Baker / Sunday Evening Playing / Various Lessons With Dewey Brown / Jam Session with Bobby Hicks’ Daughter / East Tennessee Blues / Eighth of January / Nine Pound Hammer
Steve Srader
Wagon Wheel Double Stop Practice / Rubber Dolly / In The Garden / Ookpik Waltz / Amelia’s Waltz / Ashokan Farewell / Faded Love / Arkansas Traveler / Over The Waves / Ashokan Farewell (again) / Don’t Be Angry / Don’t Be Angry (again) / Double Stops / Maggie / First Lion‘s Den Submission
2: SPECIAL ACHIEVEMENT AWARD This year’s special achievement award goes to a fiddler who has not only improved vastly, but has joined a band and begun touring, even appearing on a radio show! The prize for this award is a $50 gift certificate to The Fiddle Shop, which will be awarded by email within a few days. Congratulations to Angela!!!
Angela Clinch Mountain Backstep / My Break / Shove The Pig Foot In the Fire / Back Up And Push / Lots To Learn / Orange Blossom Special / Soldier’s Joy / Radio Show / Hold Watcha Got (licks) / Cherokee Shuffle / Angelena The Baker / Good Time Mountain Man
3: CREATIVE CONTENT AWARD This year’s Creative Content award goes to a fiddler who has not only been the most prolific contributer to the Lion’s Den forum, she also shown great creativity by recording her own backing tracks, including great work on guitar, banjo, bass, viola, and other instruments. In addition, she has even created the music for a Purcell opera that features her own daughter! We are extremely honored to have her as a member of BGD. The prize for this award is a $50 gift certificate to The Fiddle Shop, which will be awarded by email within a few days. Congratulations to Cricket!!!
Cricket Over The Waves / Candy Girl / The Possum’s Tail Is Burning / Squirrel Hunter / My New Viola / Liza Jane / Ragtime Annie / Ashokan Farewell / Purcell Stuff / Washball Cannon / The Blue Diamond Mine / Old Joe Clark / Cajun Fiddle / The Cuckoo / Mississippi Sawyer / Big Fat Bowing / New and Improved Waynsboro / Tombigee Waltz / Satisfied Mind / On A Winter’s Night / Pretty Saro / New and Improved Pretty Saro / Fall of Richmond / Davey Come Back Home / Mockingbird / Purcell soundtrack / Candy Girl (again) / Yew Piney Mountain / Waynesboro (again) / Mississippi Sawyer (again) / East Virginia / Angeline the Baker (again) / Old Mother Flannagan / Sandy Boys / Fall of Richmond (again) / John Brown’s March / Keep On The Sunny side / Listen To The Mockingbird / Chinese Breakdown / Elzick’s Farewell / I Will, I Want a Note in Gas / Cherokee Shuffle (again) / East Virginian Blues (again) / Gospel Plow
4: CHALLENGER AWARD This year’s Challenger award goes to a fiddler who has pushed himself as hard as anyone in the Lion’s Den this year. From transcribing advanced breaks, to publishing grueling practice exercises, to performing tunes with tough double stops and long riffs in the upper positions, to recording his own backing tracks with multiple instrumentes, this fiddler has challenged himself and us alike as the year rolled along. The prize for this award is a $50 gift certificate to The Fiddle Shop, which will be awarded by email within a few days. Congratulations to Fiddlewood (Dave)!!!
Fiddlewood My Blue Eyed Darling / In the Garden / For Gu — Licks etc. / Will the Circle Be Unbroken / Cattle In the Cane / Dixie / Don’t Come Runnin’ Back To Me / Wheel Hoss / Forked Deer / Road To Columbus / Bill Cheatum / Running Through the Show / One Rain Drop / Send Me Your Address In Heaven / Rebecca / Girl In Tennessee / A Little Local Show / Fireball Mail / Will You Be Satisfied That Way / Wayfaring Stranger
[CROWD GIVES A STANDING OVATION]
Now, on to our fifth and final award… “Gifted Youth!”
5: GIFTED YOUTH AWARD Our final award honors a gifted youth who has been a prolific contributer to the Lion’s Den this year. She has not only performed stirring versions of beautiful celtic tunes, she has shown great improvement in her fiddling. She has also published videos of solo performances at area events. We are very proud that she is such a big part of the BGD family. The prize for this award is a $50 gift certificate to The Fiddle Shop, which will be awarded by email within a few days, plus her very own cake of Baker’s Violin Rosin, which I can tell you is the BEST rosin I’ve tried and is VERY hard to come by. Congratulations to Kaeleigh!!!
Kaeleigh The Sky Boat Song / Back Home In Indianna / Rose In The Heather / Fisse Hornpipe / McClanahan’s March / McCloud’s Farewell / Echoes of Summer / Irish Fiddle Set / Danny Boy / Canyon Moonrise / The Swallowtail Jig / The Clog Dance / The Butterfly / Si Bheag Si Mhor / The Road To Lindoosvarna / Bonaparte’s Retreat / Booth Shot Lincoln / January Performance / Dark Island Lament / The Osprey / Come Thou Font Of They Blessing / The Gravel Walks Reel / Midnight On The Water / Hewlett / Maureen’s Fancy / Ookpick Waltz / Jock O’Hazeldean / Calliope House / The Day Dawn
Please feel free to congratulate all of our winners and honorary mentions, and to write your comments and suggestions below. BGD would not be the same without them, and their contributions are much appreciated! The Golden Lion Awards Show is an on-going annual event here at BluegrassDaddy.com. And, as such, you are all encouraged to enter as many of your own self-playing videos for critique in the Composer’s Corner and Lion’s Den forums during 2018. You never know; it could be YOU receiving a Golden Lion this time next year!
Congratulations and Thank you to everyone who posted in The Lion’s Den this past year.
Thanks also to Great Scott and John for all their hard work and sponsorship of the awards.
I’m honored to have been part of “The Den” this last year, and been witness to the struggles, improvement, diligence, and efforts of all who have contributed. Thanks to you all for the encouragement and advice you may have thrown my way through the past year…it is greatly appreciated.
I’m looking forward to another year of inspiration, good conversation, and friendship in The Den and the rest of the forum.
Dave
This reply was modified 3 years ago by fiddlewood.
Comgratulations to Everyone here at Blue Grass Daddy all the members are important even if some of the members don’t partake in the forums , Everyone is here to learn and would not be a member if they were not using the lessons and spreading the love of music , somewhere , someway and somehow in their lives , So Blue Grass Daddy is making a difference in peoples lives , Its to bad we can’t see what other members are doing , But I can imagine all the beautiful music going on that we dont get to see ,
I am honored to recieve and share the Encouragement award with Fran H !! I am pleasantly surprised I did not expect to win !!! Thank You everyone has been so supportive and helpful Thank you all again Steve
This reply was modified 3 years ago by Steve Srader.
This reply was modified 3 years ago by Steve Srader.
Congratulations to everyone for their outstanding achievements. And many Thanks to the BGD Family for their continued support, and to John and his wonderful family for their tireless efforts in providing a wonderful learning and performing experience for us all.
p.s. I’m glad my TV didn’t run out of kerosene and that I was able to see the entire show.
Well, this made my night! Thank you to my sponsors (Purnell Old Folks sausage), my promoters (Jed and Granny Clampett) and my family (my brother Darrell and my other brother Darrell).
I also thank the great, Great Scott for his vision and for John, BGDaddy himself, for his work, effort, and the inspirational way he shares his extraordinary gift and talent.
Finally, I thank all the BGD family for your ongoing encouragement, tips, discussion, entertainment, ideas and inspiration. I learn from every one of you….from the brand new beginner up through you more seasoned fiddlers and musicians.
About 3 1/2 years ago I took a hankering to get back to my fiddle roots and somehow landed on wanting to play Back Up and Push. Well, I was too ignorant to know how hard that tune is, but I happened upon a YouTube video of John teaching a version of it. I muddled through part of it and plain gave up when it came to the double shuffle part. But, it drew me farther in to John’s laser ray, and I ended up joining Bluegrassdaddy.com.
(I see the producer is signaling the end of my time and the jug band is starting to play for the break)
But, I have to close by saying….tonight, I played Back Up and Push with the band in practice for the first time. And it went great! I nailed the double shuffle. It’s on the set list for next Saturday!!! :^)
Learning from John and my BGD buddies has brought a new level of joy to my life! Thanks again to everyone!
(blows kisses while being pulled off stage with big hook)
Wow. I am just stunned. I haven’t given any thought to winning anything. Congratulations to not just the winners but all the BGD members because all of us members are winners for putting forth energy and effort to learning this awesome thing called fiddle. Its been great fun for me, and more fun the more I learn. I enjoy reading everyone’s posts, even though I may not always comment. Funny thing. . . I had just logged on to see if John had a variation of Bill Cheathem I didn’t have, only to discover the awards ceremony. Guess I better get on with my search. Thanks to all and I am truly humbled
Gosh, guys, we’ve had to be out of town because of a family tragedy, and I think I barely made it back in time for the coffee and fried Snickers. Congrats to all mentioned above. I can’t tell you how much I love all the wonderful BGDaddy people…how proud i feel to know each and every one here, especially when we share musical ideas, show-and-tell our playing, compare notes, or just chill out and be our silly selves together. It has been a real family here…great group of caring people. I’m very humbled and undeserving, for sure, of what I received…and very greatly appreciative. I’m so proud and happy for everyone’s accomplishments here…let’s go for an even better year in 2018! We had a family member in TN suddenly die over the weekend under very odd circumstances, and, well it kinda goes into a semi- Hatfield / McCoy style scenario from there…tough situation and a prayer or two involved…coming home pretty stressed and exhausted…and glad to relax again and see the BG Daddy crowd celebrating. I first found our fiddling leader, John, during lunches at my desk at work…Johnsfiddlelessons…how many pbj’s and coffee I shared with him…lol…once I saw him singing and playing Maiden’s Prayer, I was like…I gotta learn that! Here I am! Wow, what a source it’s been here. Thank you for the great ideas, unending encouragement, helpful conversation, and the Lion’s Den! I love you all!
WOW!!!!! What a fantastic night of nights!!!!! You guys are certainly in a very special place here at BGD because as far as I am aware, no other fiddle or violin teaching website has any award nights like the one that we have right here at BGD. And this year’s Golden Lion awards night was even bigger than last year’s. Super!!!
My sincere congratulations to Kaeleigh, Fiddlewood (Dave), Angela, Cricket, Fran H, and Steve Srader who have shared their talent and successes with us, as well as their trials and tribulations; and who have demonstrated their talent and commitment to bettering their fiddle playing. You have been a huge inspiration to us all.
And a special thank you goes out to all the other great members who submitted their videos to the Lion’s Den this year. You have also been a huge inspiration to all of us here.
Thank you everyone who took part for stepping out of your comfort zone and sharing your progress and other talents with us.
This has been a fantastic year for submissions to the Lion’s Den — so many more than last year– and we got to see some really wonderful videos of our fellow members’ progress as they continue on their fiddle journey.
I hope that both the 2017 and 2018 (especially the 2018) Golden Lion awards have been an uplifting inspiration and encouragement to all the members, and in turn, will hopefully allow us to see many more members posting their videos of progress or videos of their talent, or even submitting their original musical compositions in the Composer’s Corner forum.