Updates

• Added info on Jimmy Ford, thanks to Volker Houghton. • Extended and corrected the post on Happy Harold Thaxton (long overdue), thanks to everyone who sent in memories and information! • Added information to the Jim Murray post, provided by Mike Doyle, Dennis Rogers, and Marty Scarbrough. • Expanded the information on Charlie Dial found in the Little Shoe post.

Wednesday, February 24, 2016

Fiddlen Jamie on MSP

Fiddlen Jamie and the Country D's - Truck Drivin Man (MSP 6001)

This awesome recording came to me by one of Ohio's large musical experts, Scott Cheesebrew. When I heard "Truck Drivin Man," I was instantly struck with the great guitar work and the simple but charming quality of this record. When I first posted this record in 2016, I assumed "Fiddlen Jamie" was Jamie Gene Dennis from Saginaw, Michigan, but since then, many visitors left comments and revealed that I was wrong.

According to one of my visitors, Jamie Dennis hailed from Cement City in Lenawee County, South Michigan, near Lake Columbia. Dennis started to appear on local shows as a fiddler with his family band, also comprised of his father on rhythm guitar and his mother on bass. One of his most popular songs was his version of the fiddle standard "Orange Blossom Special". Throughout the years, Dennis would perform at countless spots in Michigan, including the Gospel Barn, the Golden Nugget Saloon, and at Meckly's Flavor Fruit Farms in Somerset, Michigan.

Dennis went to Columbia Lake High School and his teenage girlfriend remembered him as follows: "I dated Jamie briefly when I was 16. [...] His musical talent was incredible! I remember hanging out at his house one time and he told me to find any song on the radio and he would play it for me by ear, and he did, perfectly. I seem too remember that he did not even read sheet music! I went with the family in their motor home to one of the concerts they were playing, it was so fun. [...]"

At some point, Dennis made recordings of "Truck Drivin Man," "Arkansas Traveler," and "Black Mountain Rag" with his parents, known as "The Country D's." The songs were released by the MSP label of Archbold, Ohio, about which nothing is known. They made another record eventually, a cassette featuring live performances of their act.

While their act had focused on Dennis' image as a kiddie star, Dennis had outgrown this image by the 1980s and he went solo, switching to guitar and drums. While they still lived in Michigan in the 1980s, the family apparently later moved to Florida. While Dennis' parents had been deceased by 2019, his whereabouts are unknown to me.


Sources
• Special thanks to the many visitors, who remembered Fiddlen Jamie and shared their memories with me.

10 comments:

Dawn said...

I remember a young man named Jamie Dennis who played in a band with his parents, "Fiddlen Jamie and the Country D's". What I remember about him is different than the bio info you have listed. Perhaps they are 2 different artists, but their name is so unique that it seems unlikely. The Jamie I knew lived in Lenawee Co Mi. His mailing address was Tompkins Dr, Cement City Mi. He lived on Silver Lake in the 1980's. He attended Lake Columbia H.S. He would have been born around 1963-1966

Unknown said...

I went to career center at JCC with jamie when I was in high school. Do you know where he is now? That would be the jamie dennis that lived on silver lake off us12, and played in a band with his parents, often playing at the golden nugget in the Irish hills.

Mellow said...

I guess it's time to re-write the story of Jamie Dennis as you gentlemen provided more and better info than I did.

bassfiddlesteve said...

"Fiddlin' Jamie" was a different James Dennis who was born in 1966. He was from Michigan but moved to Florida with his parents who made up the "County D's", his father on guitar and his mother on electric bass. I met him at the Hudson Seafood Festival in 1986 and we became friends and played a few gigs together. The act he had with his parents was very quaint and focused on Jamie as a child prodigy, an image which he had outgrown by then. He soon branched off on his own and stopped playing the fiddle in favor of the guitar and later drums. He also worked as an electrician. I know his parents passed away and I lost touch with him about 10 or 15 years ago.

bassfiddlesteve said...

After listening to the recording I recognize Jamie's vocal and lead guitar work and the simple backing of his parents on rhythm guitar and bass. I used to have a full-length cassette of their act which was recorded live and featured Jamie's fiddle playing.

Unknown said...

Blast from the past! I dated Jamie briefly when I was 16. Yes, he played frequently at The Golden Nugget Saloon. His musical talent was incredible ! I remember hanging out at his house one time and he told me to find any song on the radio and he would play it for me by ear, and, he did, perfectly. I seem too remember that he did not even read sheet music! I went with the family in their motor home to one of the concerts they were playing, it was so fun. His specialty song was orange blossom special, wow, he could get a standing O after playing it. He wore a western outfit at the concert and when he played the O. B. S. He donned a huge "chief" style headdress. I used to have a picture of of him and I, with him wearing that outfit. Needless to say , I was pretty impressed with it all as a 16 yr old lol.the really weird twist is that we actually met the first time when I was only 10, he was playing at The Gospel Barn, I had gone there with my aunt and uncle and they bought me a picture of him and had him sign it. Good times, good memories.

Unknown said...

Jamie's dad worked with my I do believe at General motors at willow run Michigan.

Unknown said...

Live up by devil's lake here in Michigan good friend I was at his shows in Brighton and kind of my family's kind of ran the Opry shows Jamie always played there for Harold lawfor shows Jamie was one good person so was his parents sorry to hear that wow blows my mind.5176625374

Anonymous said...

I have that record somewhere ❤️

Anonymous said...

He also played at Mecklys Flavor Fruit Farms in Somerset Center Mi off US 12. Went to his shows. So original post must be incorrect.