Tommy Jarrell

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Tommy Jarrell (born Thomas Jefferson Jarrell, Surry County, North Carolina, March 1, 1901, United States; d. January 28, 1985, United States) was an American fiddler, banjo player, and singer from the Mount Airy region of North Carolina's Appalachian Mountains. Although he made his living from road construction (operating a motor grader for the North Carolina Highway Department until his retirement in 1966), Jarrell was an influential musician, eventually attracting attention from Washington D.C. when he received the National Endowment for the Arts' National Heritage Fellowship in 1982.

Jarrell's style was notable for its expressive use of syncopation and sliding ornamentation, and he was adept at singing while playing. His formidable technique and rough timbre continue to influence modern aficionados of Appalachian old-time music and in particular the "Round-Peak" style of clawhammer banjo.

Jarrell's life is documented in two films by Les Blank, listed below.

[edit] Films

Sprout Wings and Fly (1983). Produced and directed by Les Blank, CeCe Conway, and Alice Gerrard. El Cerrito, California: Flower Films. ISBN 0-933621-09-9.
My Old Fiddle: A Visit with Tommy Jarrell in the Blue Ridge (1994). Directed by Les Blank. El Cerrito, California: Flower Films. ISBN 0-933621-61-2.