Back to Oral History
  • Oral History

Stripling Brothers

September 2, 1963 OH441 65 min.

Biography


Country music duo. A brother duo comprised of fiddler Charlie (full name: Charlie Melvin Stripling; born August 8, 1896; died January 19, 1966) and guitarist Ira (full name: Ira Lee Stripling; born June 5, 1898; died March 11, 1967). An old-time fiddle-guitar duo, they recorded for the Brunswick and Decca record labels from 1928-1936. Their recordings include noteworthy renditions of several old fiddle tunes, including “Horseshoe Bend,” “Big Eyed Rabbit,” “Wolves A’Howling,” and “Lost Child.”

Interview Summary

1963 September 2
(1 hour, 5 minutes)
Brother duo Charlie and Ira Stripling discuss their musical career. Discussion includes their background and their first instruments; Charlie winning fiddlers’ contests; recording for Vocalion and Decca; Charlie’s “trick” fiddling; Charlie’s compositions; Charlie’s Fiddling Band; Ira’s decision to quit the music business in 1950 following health problems; and listening to Carl Sauceman on the radio.

We use cookies in the following ways: (1) for system administration, (2) to assess the performance of the website, (3) to personalize your experience, content and ads, (4) to provide social media features, and (5) to analyze our traffic. You consent to our cookies if you continue to use our website. Please consult instructions for your web browser to disable or block cookies, or to receive a warning before a cookie is stored on your computer or mobile device. Read our Privacy Policy.