Clark Kessinger

Among the finest fiddlers from earlier eras, Clark Kessinger teamed with his nephew Luches under the name Kessinger Brothers for Brunswick label sessions toward the end of the 1920s; those sides exerted a major impact on fiddlers throughout the southern region. Following Luches’s passing in 1944, Clark restricted his performances to nearby dances in the Charleston, West Virginia area until the 1960s folk revival brought him back into wider attention. Remarkably, his technical command remained nearly undiminished, leading to bookings at folk festivals where he cut several albums and performed on The Grand Ole Opry, receiving two encores prompted by enthusiastic crowds. He also competed in numerous prominent fiddle contests, claiming top honors and the World Champion Fiddler designation at the 47th annual Old-Time Fiddler’s & Bluegrass Festival held in Union Grove, North Carolina during April 1971. Later in that same year, nine years into his renewed career, Kessinger experienced a stroke while still engaged in concerts and Rounder Records sessions; a second stroke in 1975 ended his life at age 78, leaving him unable to perform after the initial attack.