Production & Marketing:
The Talking Violin
with Billy Taylor

The Talking Violin: Blues Fiddle (mp3)

The NPR Series hosted by the late Dr. Billy Taylor

written by Julie Lyonn Lieberman, produced by Julie Lyonn Lieberman and Steve Rathe

During the late 1970s, few Americans knew about the rich history of the violin in American music — from the development of the blues fiddle style by slave fiddlers, to the hot, smokin’ solos of the early jazz violinists, on through to contemporary, innovative players.

I wanted to share the rich contributions fellow string-players had made to American music, and set out to create a radio series that would excite and inspire the listening public. Jazz pianist and radio/TV host Dr. Billy Taylor (at left) was my first and only candidate for a host. His history performing with jazz violinists like Stuff Smith and Joe Kennedy, Jr. (at right), coupled with his elegant dedication to jazz education, made him the perfect choice.

After ten years of research, writing, interviews, and fund-raising, I invited veteran jazz radio producer Steve Rathe on board — also my first and only choice for the project. With the support of the New York State Council on the Arts and the National Endowment for the Arts, Meet the Composer, The Wolfensohn Foundation, as well as contributions from dozens of individuals and small string-oriented companies, we began production in 1988, creating a five-part series. It was a first for radio: over fifty violinists were represented, spanning close to a century of music. (below, Jay McShann sits with Claude "Fiddler" Williams)

Working with Dr. Billy Taylor was an honor. His smooth, steady-paced work style coupled with his interest in the subject matter brought far more to the project than I’d anticipated. I loved our chats during breaks in the recording studio; I learned so much from him about the history of jazz and his role in publicizing and promoting jazz as America’s classic music. I later invited him onto my show on WBAI to meet and share the hour with Lincoln Center’s then new director of Jazz at Lincoln Center, Rob Gibson. Over the years, we kept in touch. I always touted him as my professional role model: he was consistently generous and thoughtful, even when his health was ebbing.

Billy called me right after jazz violinists Joe Kennedy Jr. and Claude “Fiddler” Williams’s passages — they’d died within a week of one another to the day. That was the last time I spoke with him. They were obviously on their way to that same huge jam session in the sky where Billy is no doubt now a premiere guest.

Julie Lyonn Lieberman

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