This photograph
was taken in April 2002 after two of the liveliest shows ever presented at
the Arizona Folklore Preserve (both in one day). From left to right,
the tall people are Annie Dahl, David Klaus, Dolan, Tim Wiedenkeller, Walden
Dahl, and Jesse Stockman. The girl in the red dress is David's daughter,
Patty, who, although not part of the show, is always a good audience member.
Tim Wiedenkeller has brought a tremendous
amount of talent to the AFP. Many people know that Tim spent his first
few years in the music industry, beginning when he was a teenager, on the
bluegrass circuit. Back then, he met and became friends with Walden
Dahl, a tenor with one of the most soulful voices heard anywhere. Walden
is also a songwriter, and wrote two songs that became big hits: "Pretty
Girls, City Lights," made famous by Ralph Stanley and later recorded
once again by Ralph Stanley, Jr., and "So
Long, So Wrong,"
a hit for Alison Krause.
Not long before the AFP show, Tim had
the opportunity to perform with champion fiddler, Jesse Stockman, several
times. Jesse was only about 24 at the time, and was phenomenal. Jesse
did not know Walden's original songs, nor did he know most of Tim's music. And
yet he did at least one solo on almost every song! Jesse is doing very
well and has an even greater future ahead of him. One example is that
he teaches at the Mark O'Connor Fiddle Camp. Be sure to look up "Jesse
Stockman fiddle" on Google occasionally to see how he's doing.
David Klaus, Tim Wiedenkeller, & Walden Dahl, April 2002. Tim is
wearing a suit that belonged to his father in the 1940s.
David Klaus plays a great doghouse
bass, and actually lived in Hereford for a while and was there when this
show occurred. But
it was Tim who "discovered" David, and first brought him to the big AFP
Red Rooster Ruckus fundraiser the previous October. Dolan had David
and Tim accompany him at the Cochise Cowboy Poetry & Music Gathering in February
2002, and Dolan invited David to come back later to play bass just for his
show one weekend. David
is also featured on Dolan's "...after the
show™" video DVD.
What a great lineup! Annie Dahl
joined the group for a while during each show,,
singing a couple of songs with her husband and doing a classic folk tune,
"Red
Clay Country."
And of course, Dolan Ellis was part
of the event. He came out toward the end of each show to join the group
in a couple of closing numbers, including "Mule Skinner Blues."
The shows were primarily bluegrass,
featuring Tim's great "Long Tom" and Walden's "Pretty
Girls," and "Explanation of the
News." Tim also played one of his original classical banjo
numbers during each show, and presented his Tucson song, "New
Old Pueblo"
(subtitled "We No Peel Nopal No More"). Walden also
sang several non-bluegrass songs from his self-titled CD: "Devil
Woman" (written
and made a hit by Marty Robbins decades ago), "Back
in the Saddle Again," and
"Shady Grove." Another song from his CD was "The
Auctioneer," not the happy Leroy Van Dyke song, but one written by a
former member of the Eagles group, about the plight of the American farmers.
Tim Wiedenkeller continues to bring
great talent to the AFP. In June 2003 and again in January 2004, he
brought Rob Paulus, a top Tucson architect who is also a virtuoso on bass
and violin (and who also plays a beautiful classical guitar). In September
2004, he brought Debbie Daly, who
often sings harmony with Tim at concerts; she even played guitar at that
event.
In April 2005, Tim made his first solo
appearance at the AFP, and many say it was the best ever. A highlight
was his rendition of "Route 66," complete with trumpet, which
he played in high school and recently took up again. The unique thing
was that he played the trumpet without the instrument, producing a remarkable
sound. A
local reviewer wrote that Tim's version of "Route
66" is better than any
recordings by the stars (and that would have to include the one and only
Nat King Cole).
For anyone who was at Tim's AFP concerts
prior to 2005, the news is out: the "Milagros" CD of Tim's original classical
banjo music is complete and is making a huge splash, and is being played
on radio including National Public Radio. Expect an even greater spash
when his "Soul House" CD of original vocal music comes out.
Back
to guest artist gallery Tim
Wiedenkeller Tim's
AFP Page
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