Famous people from texas

Jim "Texas Shorty" Chancellor

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Jim "Texas Shorty" Chancellor

Jim “Texas Shorty" Chancellor, is a living legend in the world of fiddling.

Leonard mosley texas shorty fiddler Chancellor is credited as the youngest fiddler to win the World Championship in Crockett, Texas, at age He went on to win the contest three consecutive times in , ‘56, & ‘ As the youngest ever "World's Champion Fiddler," he was featured on the New York television program "To Tell the Truth.".

He is nationally acknowledged to be one of the masters of fiddling. Best known for Texas-style fiddling, Chancellor is a master of many styles. Born in in Dallas County, Texas, Jim credits his father, James Houston Chancellor, with getting him and his brothers into music. When he was seven years old, his father brought home a mandolin and said whoever learned it first could have the instrument.

Leonard mosley texas shorty fiddler youtube Born Jim Chancellor in Dallas County in , the famous fiddler known worldwide as "Texas Shorty" actually started his career on mandolin. At the age of nine, with his brother Allen he was performing on radio station KTER on the "Texas Al and Shorty" show.

By the age of nine, he was playing mandolin over KTER radio with his older brother Allen on guitar, where he became "Shorty" of "The Texas Al and Shorty Show".

As a teenager, Chancellor heard the World Champion fiddler Benny Thomasson, which inspired him and caused him to put away his mandolin and begin to learn fiddle under Thomasson's teaching.

He started attending various fiddle contests and jam sessions, where he met a who's-who of Texas fiddlers, including Eck Robertson, Major Franklin, Norman and Vernon Soloman. He commented, "I've compared the luck that I had in learning to play the fiddle with an artist being born on the same street as Michelangelo, Van Gogh and Picasso,·having everybody on his block that he could meet with and learn from." Chancellor learned tunes and techniques from all these great fiddlers and while Benny was the primary influence, they all contributed to his style.

Chancellor is credited as the youngest fiddler to win the World Championship in Crockett, Texas, at age He went on to win the contest three consecutive times in , ‘56, & ‘ As the youngest ever "World's Champion Fiddler," he was featured on the New York television program "To Tell the Truth." He went on to win the World Championship contest in and and was retired as "World Champion" at age nineteen.

Chancellor was one of the first Texas fiddlers to market his recordings in the s with a series of 45s on Golden Bow records.

He served in the Army and later began a long career in management with Dallas-based Southwest Airlines, but he didn’t stop playing and winning contests. In addition to multiple World Championship wins, Chancellor's accomplishments include five Texas State Championships, membership in the Texas Fiddler Hall of Fame, and winning the Grand Masters in Nashville in

He recorded the album, The Best Of Texas Shorty, in the s, accompanied by his younger brother Robert, who had become an accomplished rhythm guitarist, Jerry Thomasson on tenor guitar, and Elden Graham on bass.

Leonard mosley texas shorty fiddler today He became the second fiddler in the history of the World's Fiddle Festival to attain undefeated status by winning the contest three consecutive times. Succeeding years have seen Shorty win hundreds of fiddle contests throughout the nation, among them the National Fiddle Championship and the Texas State Championship on several different occasions.

In , Jim met Dallas multi-instrumentalist Gerald Jones. Gerald's wide musical tastes appealed to Jim and the two began to make music together. They added Leigh Taylor on bass and began performing as "Acoustic Plus," playing a mix of country, swing, pop, bluegrass, and old time fiddle tunes.

In the s, Chancellor recorded·Texas Shorty, World Champion Fiddler, which featured musicians Mark O'Connor and Sam Bush, as well as his brother Robert Chancellor.

Chancellor is credited as the youngest fiddler to win the World Championship in Crockett, Texas, at age He went on to win the contest three consecutive times in , ‘56, & ‘ As the youngest ever "World's Champion Fiddler," he was featured on the New York television program "To Tell the Truth.".

Shorty recorded·Old Sport in , an album of diverse old time tunes accompanied by Nashville songwriter, performer, recording artist and friend, John Hartford.

In , Chancellor married Ruthie, the love of his life, and a credible bass player. He enjoys being with Ruthie, family and friends, and many accompanied him to Washington, D.C.

as he received a very prestigious national honor. In , he became a Fellow of the NEA National Heritage Award, which included his performance at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. He has performed on countless live concerts and has made television appearances with many outstanding musicians and stars.

Texas Shorty continues to teach a new generation of fiddlers through classes and workshops, usually with his wife Ruthie on bass and at his side.

His fiddle style and arrangements have inspired and had a lasting impact on fiddlers of all ages. He has recently stopped traveling due to health concerns, but he is thrilled and honored to be a inductee into the National Fiddler Hall of Fame.

Jim "Texas Shorty" Chancellor was inducted into the National Fiddler Hall of Fame in