Lesley Riddle - founder of "Country Music"
Lesley Riddle was born in 1905 in North Carolina and his relationship with the Carter Family left a lasting impact on American music and the sound of Country Music.
He grew up in the mountains of east Tennessee and when he was a teenager was in an accident at a cement plan and lost his leg and then later two fingers in a shotgun incident. During his recovery he took the time to learn to play the guitar and learn from blues and gospel music.
In his early 20s he met the Carter Family though his friendship with A.P. Carter. Riddle taught Maybelle and A.P. Carter how to play the guitar. They would go on various listening trips where Lesley would memorize the melody and then teach the Carter Family how to play. His style of playing was coined at "Carter Picking" - due to the way he played because of the loss of his two fingers. This style is still how many traditional instruments are played.
Leslie Riddle c. 1960s
Riddle played a significant role in framing the style of what came to be known as "country music" due to his collaboration with and teaching music to the Carter Family.
He was never given a career opportunity to be recognized as a peer with the Carter Family and in 1942 he parted ways with them. However, when the Carter Family was on the Johnny Cash show, Maybell made sure that everyone knew that Leslie Riddle was the reason for their success. After this a producer sought out Riddle and convinced him to be recoded from 1965-1978. Riddle passed away just one year later in 1979.
Leslie "Esley" Riddle is the reason why we have the "county music" we have today and his influence can be heard throughout the mountains of Appalachia to the Cowboy Carter Beyonce Album.
Short video doc about Lesley Riddle
Sources
Leave a comment