DIRTY LINEN MAGAZINE REVIEW:

Israel Welch
Tearin’ Down the Laurel
Augusta Heritage Center AHR 025 (2001)

The story of 90-year-old West Virginia fiddler Israel Welch is nothing less than amazing. Like so many West Virginians who have roots burrowing for generations, Welch’s family has occupied the same farm since the 1830s. His father and uncle married two sisters, and between them their progeny totaled 17. To educate their sizable brood, the brothers not only built their own schoolhouse but also employed a schoolteacher, all on their own land. Later the number of offspring provided the impetus for a family band, with whom Israel and his brothers played community dances for decades. Interestingly, the family never had electricity because of its isolated locale. When Augusta Heritage folklorist Gerry Milnes recorded the then-83-year-old Welch in his home, he used an inverter connected to a running car to convert DC to AC. Whatever challenge it may have been, the effort was certainly worth it.
What’s fascinating about Welch is that many of his tunes are local to his native Mineral County, located in the state’s eastern panhandle. In that vein, the title song, “Helter Shelter,” and “Hell on the Potomac” are thought to be of Civil War origin. Several others (“Lake on the Mountain,” “Montreal Swing”) hail from Newfoundland, where Welch was stationed during World War II. As a former popular dance fiddler, Welch exhibits strong bowing, clean intonations, and impeccable timing. He does a lot of sliding around his noting and, compared to other West Virginia fiddlers, he uses less droning. Before each tune, Welch mentions its source as well as the key it’s played in. Though Milnes is a deft accompanist on guitar, it’s clear that Welch is not just part of the band: With his joyous, full sound and keen technique, he is the band.

 Dan Willging (Denver, CO)

From Dirty Linen #104 (Feb/Mar 2003)