Howdy Forrester
Encyclopedia
Howdy Forrester born Howard Wilson Forrester, was an American bluegrass fiddler and a popularizer and practiser of the "Texas" or "show fiddle" style. He was a long-time member of Roy Acuff
's Smoky Mountain Boys.
into a family of many fiddlers—his father, grandfather and uncle played the fiddle. He grew up as the youngest of four brothers. In 1927, their father was killed in an automobile accident when his vehicle was hit by a train. In 1933, during a convalescence from rheumatic fever where he was bedridden for months, Forrester learned to play the fiddle.
After his family moved to Nashville
in the mid 1930s, Forrester began performing with his brothers. In 1938, he joined The Vagabonds and landed a job on the Grand Ole Opry
. When Herald Goodman of the Vagabonds formed another act called the Tennessee Valley Boys, Forrester was soon to join up. He and Herald Goodman received an offer in 1939 to join the Saddle Mountain Roundup radio show in Tulsa, Oklahoma
. During this time Forrester received his nickname, "Big Howdy," by Goodman.
In 1940, he moved to Nashville with his wife to work with Bill Monroe
and His Bluegrass Boys. In 1943 he was drafted and had to leave the band but his wife Billie "Sally Ann" Forrester remained with Monroe as his sole accordion player until 1945. After Forrester's discharge from the US Navy in 1946 he returned temporarily to Monroe. Soon he moved to Dallas
to join Georgia Slim Rutland and the Texas Roundup performing at KRLD-AM.
In 1950, he joined Cowboy Copas
before becoming a full-time member of Roy Acuff
and His Smoky Mountain Boys in 1951. He also made recordings with Flatt & Scruggs in the early 1950s. In 1960, he recorded a solo album called Fancy Fiddlin' Country Style for the MGM subsidiary Cub label. In 1964, Forrester left the Smoky Mountain Boys to join the Acuff-Rose Artists Corporation
. He continued to record solo albums during the 1970s and 1980s.
Forrester died at his home in Nashville.
Roy Acuff
Roy Claxton Acuff was an American country music singer, fiddler, and promoter. Known as the King of Country Music, Acuff is often credited with moving the genre from its early string band and "hoedown" format to the star singer-based format that helped make it internationally successful.Acuff...
's Smoky Mountain Boys.
Biography
Forrester was born in Vernon, TennesseeTennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
into a family of many fiddlers—his father, grandfather and uncle played the fiddle. He grew up as the youngest of four brothers. In 1927, their father was killed in an automobile accident when his vehicle was hit by a train. In 1933, during a convalescence from rheumatic fever where he was bedridden for months, Forrester learned to play the fiddle.
After his family moved to Nashville
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
in the mid 1930s, Forrester began performing with his brothers. In 1938, he joined The Vagabonds and landed a job on the Grand Ole Opry
Grand Ole Opry
The Grand Ole Opry is a weekly country music stage concert in Nashville, Tennessee, that has presented the biggest stars of that genre since 1925. It is also among the longest-running broadcasts in history since its beginnings as a one-hour radio "barn dance" on WSM-AM...
. When Herald Goodman of the Vagabonds formed another act called the Tennessee Valley Boys, Forrester was soon to join up. He and Herald Goodman received an offer in 1939 to join the Saddle Mountain Roundup radio show in Tulsa, Oklahoma
Tulsa, Oklahoma
Tulsa is the second-largest city in the state of Oklahoma and 46th-largest city in the United States. With a population of 391,906 as of the 2010 census, it is the principal municipality of the Tulsa Metropolitan Area, a region with 937,478 residents in the MSA and 988,454 in the CSA. Tulsa's...
. During this time Forrester received his nickname, "Big Howdy," by Goodman.
In 1940, he moved to Nashville with his wife to work with Bill Monroe
Bill Monroe
William Smith Monroe was an American musician who created the style of music known as bluegrass, which takes its name from his band, the "Blue Grass Boys," named for Monroe's home state of Kentucky. Monroe's performing career spanned 60 years as a singer, instrumentalist, composer and bandleader...
and His Bluegrass Boys. In 1943 he was drafted and had to leave the band but his wife Billie "Sally Ann" Forrester remained with Monroe as his sole accordion player until 1945. After Forrester's discharge from the US Navy in 1946 he returned temporarily to Monroe. Soon he moved to Dallas
Dallas, Texas
Dallas is the third-largest city in Texas and the ninth-largest in the United States. The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex is the largest metropolitan area in the South and fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States...
to join Georgia Slim Rutland and the Texas Roundup performing at KRLD-AM.
In 1950, he joined Cowboy Copas
Cowboy Copas
Lloyd Estel Copas , known by his stage name Cowboy Copas, was an American country music singer popular from the 1940s until his death in the 1963 plane crash that also killed country stars Patsy Cline and Hawkshaw Hawkins. He was a member of the Grand Ole Opry.-Biography:Copas was born in 1913 in...
before becoming a full-time member of Roy Acuff
Roy Acuff
Roy Claxton Acuff was an American country music singer, fiddler, and promoter. Known as the King of Country Music, Acuff is often credited with moving the genre from its early string band and "hoedown" format to the star singer-based format that helped make it internationally successful.Acuff...
and His Smoky Mountain Boys in 1951. He also made recordings with Flatt & Scruggs in the early 1950s. In 1960, he recorded a solo album called Fancy Fiddlin' Country Style for the MGM subsidiary Cub label. In 1964, Forrester left the Smoky Mountain Boys to join the Acuff-Rose Artists Corporation
Acuff-Rose Music
Acuff-Rose Music was an American music publishing firm formed by Roy Acuff and Fred Rose in Nashville, Tennessee. Acuff-Rose's honest behavior towards their writers set them apart from other music publishing firms at the time and lead them to fame throughout the 50's, 60's, 70's.-History:Acuff-Rose...
. He continued to record solo albums during the 1970s and 1980s.
Forrester died at his home in Nashville.