Yellville resident Violet Hensley who was inducted into the National Fiddler Hall of Fame in Tulsa in late March has been on the road again. The 101-year-old legendary fiddle maker and entertainer made her third appearance at the Grand Ole Opry in April.The Harrison Daily Times reports Hensley said at her hall of fame induction she doesn’t let any grass grow beneath her feet.
Between her induction and the latest appearance at the Grand Ole Opry, Hensley and her family squeezed in another celebration, a reunion with the third fiddle crafted by the Ozark legend.
Between 1934 and 1997, Hensley hand-crafted 73 fiddles. With each fiddle, her technique became more precise as she discovered the best wood to use for each piece and developed patterns and methods to perfect her skill.
Along the way, Hensley maintained a record book including the dates the 73 fiddles were completed, the types of wood used, and the names of the people who purchased or obtained them. Throughout the years, Hensley kept tabs on most of the fiddles, but a few, including the number 3, were unaccounted for.
Number 3 was traded to a friend for a quilt, way back in 1934.
Through calls, emails, and photos, a reunion meeting was arranged last month. On April 3rd, the third fiddle Hensley created journeyed home. It had been 84 years since Hensley had cradled the tiny wooden instrument, a tiny 1/16th sized fiddle, she had made for a childhood friend.
A few short days after the homecoming of her number 3 fiddle, Hensley and her daughters, no. 9 and no. 10 (Lewonna Nelson and Sandra Flagg) were on the road to Nashville again in the makes of another story for the history books.
Ricky Skaggs headlined the cast of entertainers on the Grand Ole Opry stage on the evening of April 14th. Hensleys and Skaggs paths had crossed numerous times before at Silver Dollar City and at their recent inductions in the National Fiddlers Hall of Fame.
Backstage at the Opry, Hensley received her usual reception of followers, including famous fiddle distributor George Gruhn and Andy Leftwich, famed fiddler of Ricky Skaggs and Kentucky Thunder. Leftwich was allowed the honor of playing a tune or two on Hensleys hand-crafted 84-year-old number 4 fiddle. He and acclaimed fiddlers, Tim Crouch and Deanie Richardson, fiddled along with Hensley for more than 20 minutes as various visitors observed.
Moments before her third performance center stage on the renowned Nashville stage, Hensley contemplated song choices for the evenings event. She chimed out familiar tunes like “Black Eyed Susie” as Crouch and Richardson played along. When she lit into the charming melody, “Faded Love,” Opry host Mike Snider asserted, Youve got to play that one.
Larry Barto said Hensley once told him her goal as a musician was to make the audience feel the music in the tips of their toes. Her third performance at the Grand Ole Opry was received like her previous two, with waves of ovations and proud adorations. Hensley was her genial self, popping off one-line zingers, keeping the crowd and Snider amused and on their toes.
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