Photos by SEAN KOTZ Special to The Roanoke Times

Chris Via (left) and Dean Reed organized a two-day fiddler's convention in honor of Reed's father, Henry, whose music is archived in the U.S. Library of Congress.

Virginia fiddle champion Mark Campbell swaps tunes with other musicians at the 2008 festival.

| Sean Kotz

Special to The Roanoke Times

GLEN LYN -- Giles County resident Chris Via decided six years ago it was time to bring back one of the old traditions of the county, an annual fiddler's convention.

A founding member of Giles Mountain String Band, Via spent his free time playing old-time music with Dean Reed, a son of Henry Reed, whose music is archived in the U.S. Library of Congress.

Together, they decided that a two-day fiddler's convention in honor of Henry Reed would be great for the community.

"Well, Chris just fell in love with Daddy's music," said Dean Reed, now 80. "I was already working on a book on his life when Chris came up with this idea and we thought it would be a real good thing for everyone around here."

Since then, the convention has drawn people from all over the country, and even around the world.

"Somebody came from Arizona last year," Via said, "and somebody from California. ... The second year we had it, a group of Japanese guys came. They called themselves the Japanese Beatles."

People come largely because of the opportunity for fellowship, musical exchange and the entertainment that a fiddler's convention provides.

But many also come specifically because of Henry Reed's contribution to American music.

Reed lived from 1884 to 1968 and was known for his unique longbow style and vast repertoire of songs, some of which had been passed down from the 19th century through Reed's mentor, Quince Dillion.

Reed played a type of mountain music known as old-time, which forms the basis of bluegrass and evolved largely from Celtic folk tunes reprocessed through the American cultural mixing bowl.

In the mid-1960s, Duke University doctoral student Alan Jabbour discovered Reed and spent the next few years visiting whenever he could to record Reed and learn his collection of otherwise forgotten songs.

"Henry Reed was the old-time fiddle player who most influenced me when I was learning the old-time style," said Jabbour, who eventually became the founding director of The Center for American Folk Life at the Library of Congress.

"Henry Reed is important because his tunes and style ended up having a huge impact on the revival of old-time fiddle music over the past 40 years."

According to Jabbour, fiddling was at a low point in popularity in the '60s.

"In retrospect, I see that a revival was just waiting to happen," Jabbour said.

"But it needed the excitement of some great tunes and great ways of playing them. Henry Reed supplied both."

Via said the convention helps people tap into that excitement and body of music today.

And, it keeps growing.

"This year, people can expect to see more bands, including more bluegrass," Via noted.

Naturally, Dean Reed is pleased to see the attention his father's life now gets and believes it is important for people to hear about the kind of people his parents were.

"We just felt like we had the best mother and father you could ever want, and it's good for the young people to hear the music that their parents talk about and Daddy played," he said.

For Via, the convention is an important way to preserve the music and share old tunes with new people.

The public is invited to camp or attend for the day at Glen Lyn Park. Admission is $7 today and $8 on Saturday.

The shows start at 5 p.m. today and 3 p.m. Saturday, and people are encouraged to bring food, camp chairs and blankets to enjoy the music.

For more information about the convention and the music, go to www.gilesmountainstringband.com.