For 78 years the living legend Huey Buxton has been playing music and entertaining people. Buxton was a guest Wednesday during the Britt Godwin show on KOGT, and talked about how his music career started. Buxton remembered how his sister got a mandolin one Christmas because his dad could not afford a piano. She taught Huey a three-chord song “Little Brown Jug” and that’s how his playing music started.
Buxton may have started playing music on the mandolin, but he is famous for being a fiddler which he attributes to his dad who also played the fiddle. Buxton related how his family was living in mid-Jefferson County while his dad worked in the shipyard. Buxton’s dad was a fiddler too, although his dad always said it was a violin. Huey cherishes his dad’s fiddle which he still possesses, but never takes out and only plays it around the house.
Over the years Huey has played with many great musicians and entertainers. Buxton fondly remembers several of them and one in particular. Buxton said he was fortunate to play with many talented musicians like Cliff Brunner who was an inspiration for Huey, Deacon Anderson was a great another one, he worked with Johnny Gimble, and through the original drummer in Buxton’s band he eventually got to play backup to the famous Bob Wills and that was a hoot according to Huey.
Music sounds and choices may have changed in the decades since Huey Buxton began fiddling, but he still loves making music and will continue playing it as long as he enjoys doing what he is doing. Everyone hopes that will still be quite a few more years.
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