In 1922, recorded music was in its infancy, but Texan raised fiddle player Alexander Campbell “Eck” Robertson was given the opportunity to record what many music historians claim to be the first recorded country commercial phonograph record. On this groundbreaking record, Robertson and Henry C. Gilliland performed on many tracks together, however, “Ragtime Annie” was a solo music display. Gilliland and Robertson, whose father fought for the south during the civil war, met at confederate soldiers convention to honor those who fought in the war. While the term ragtime was coined by black artists in the 1890’s, Robertson was an anglo man born in Delany, Arkansas, whose family moved to the Texan panhandle when he was just three years old. Music, but especially the fiddle ran through his veins as his grandfather, father and uncles all entered fiddle competitions, which inspired him to do the same. While Robertson was white, he traveled with medicine shows through what was known as “Indian country” to perform his music. Medicine shows were a traveling act with various talents in between spokesmen trying to sell people miracle cures for any ailment. These acts were famous for employing musicians to entertain the audience, and try to deceive them into buying the medication.
The fiddle and violin are the same instrument, the only difference is how they are played. Fiddle music is known for its folk sounding aspects, while the violin is very classical. The anglos that immigrated to Texas brought the style of fiddling with them to Texas for the purpose of dancing. Eck Robertson is known for his unique style of fiddling that went beyond dance music and entered its own form of entertainment.
On to the song itself, “Ragtime Annie” was a product of the 1920’s era. The music of this time was passed down generation to generation as there was no means of recording it yet. Since no other country music had been recorded before this album, it is hard to tell if “Ragtime Annie”is an original song, or if it was taken from previous artists. It is speculated that Robertson had heard the tune of this popular song from Native American dance music, as the swing of the fiddle is similar in style to the songs of the native people. He would have picked up these influences from his times in the medicine shows. This song holds true to its dance music origins, as most. fiddle music of this time was used for dancing. and celebrations. As mentioned, ragtime music was typically performed by black American artists on the piano, but Robertson developed his own style of ragtime for the fiddle. He was given more opportunities to succeed in the music industry due to his skin color, and was able to share his music with a wider variety of audiences. It is hard to tell if other songs from this time had a similar feel, but in the coming years after the record was recorded, many other songs with a similar style were coming out and being recorded.
While Eck Robertson was born and raised in the south, the record from which “Ragtime Annie” was recorded was made in New York with the Victor Talking Machine Company. Robertson did have a lot of southern pride and never moved from the greater Amarillo, Texas area. When this song was recorded, the Texan panhandle was uncharted territory, and home to many native people. Robertson, whether he knew it or not, was influenced by black and Native American artists, and even just the general public of the places he visited. While there is no information on whether or not Robertson had prejudice against non-anglo Americans, since his father did fight for the south it is safe to say that he might have been racist, but still took influence from the non-white groups. There is not much information about “Ragtime Annie” since it was not the most popular recording from phonograph record. Also, Robertson was never a huge star in his time, and is mostly known now because of his work on the first recorded country tracks.
Work Cited
“Curriculum Guide: Texas Style Fiddle.” Texas Folklife, https://texasfolklife.org/article/curriculum-guide-texas-style-fiddle#:~:text=Fiddling%20in%20Texas%20is%20a%20unique%20and%20honored%20tradition.&text=The%20fiddle%20music%20which%20came,terms%20are%20still%20used%20today.
“Google Maps .” Google Maps, Google, www.google.com/maps/place/Amarillo,+TX/@34.1370682,-102.4985919,7z/data=!4m5!3m4!1s0x870148d4b245cf03:0xd0f3d11c6836d2af!8m2!3d35.2219971!4d-101.8312969.
Laferty, Matt. “Eck Robertson Songs, ALBUMS, Reviews, Bio & More.” AllMusic, www.allmusic.com/artist/eck-robertson-mn0000796100.
Seeber, Jill S. “Robertson, Alexander [Eck] (1887–1975).” TSHA, 27 Sept. 2015, www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/robertson-alexander-eck.
Traditional Tune Archive. “Ragtime Annie (1).” Traditional Tune Archive, Traditional Tune Archive, 13 Aug. 2021, tunearch.org/wiki/Annotation:Ragtime_Annie_(1).
“Traveling Medicine Show.” Traveling Medicine Show – Dead Media Archive, cultureandcommunication.org/deadmedia/index.php/Traveling_Medicine_Show.
“What Is Ragtime?” Merriam-Webster, Merriam-Webster, www.merriam-webster.com/words-at-play/what-is-ragtime-e-l-doctorow.
