Popular North Country musician Don Woodcock, of Kendrew Corners, is featured in the Summer 2012 issue of Fiddler Magazine, the premier publication for and about fiddlers in North America.

Copies of the magazine, as well as Don’s two most recent CDs – A Reel Tradition and Fiddlers Three, which he recorded with Gretchen and Rebecca Koehler - are available from TAUNY’s North Country Folkstore in Canton, 53 Main Street, Canton

The article was written by Varick Chittenden, Senior Folklorist and Director of Special Projects at Traditional Arts in Upstate New York (TAUNY), “Don Woodcock: Nurturing a Family Legacy with Fiddle and Bow” tells the story of the St. Lawrence County dairy farmer and teacher who holds the title of Grand Champion Fiddler of New York State.

“At the age of fourteen, Donald Woodcock began playing the fiddle,” Chitteden says in his article, “widely recognized in New York’s North Country for having one of the greatest repertoires of fiddle tunes anywhere around.” Don never had a lesson – “I don’t think people really believe me when I say that I never had any violin training, but I never had a lesson in my life in violin” – having learned most of what he knows about fiddling and music from his fiddler father Howard.

Chitteden continues, “Traditional fiddle tunes for dancing have been Don’s first love, and his dedication to preserving and presenting the music he learned at home has been his hallmark,” according to Chittenden. His public performances today typically include old favorites that he presents with history and stories that highlight their significance.

In 1987, Don was inducted into the North American Fiddlers Hall of Fame in Osceola, New York. At that time, noted fiddler and historian Alice Clemens said about Don, “When he is playing, the music just seems to flow from his heart and soul. It reflects an inner goodness. The feeling of his music is magnificent.” In 1997, TAUNY presented Don with the North Country Heritage Award.

All of this and more is chronicled in the article.

For more information about TAUNY, the North Country Folkstore, and traditional North Country music, visit www.TAUNY.org.