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Who's Been Here Since I've Been Gone

  • Who's Been Here Since I've Been Gone

    Doc Phil Roberts, whose name people usually get wrong, was named for the country doctor who delivered him in Madison County, Kentucky, in 1897. He learned a vast number of unique local tunes from his older brother, and from Owen Walker, an African-American fiddler of local repute, who was born into slavery in 1857. ยท Roberts began playing with Asa Martin (1900-79) in 1927, but his aversion to a life of travel and performing led him to quit seven years later. He did "play out" occasionally in his later years, often at Berea College, and died in 1978.

    Doc Phil Roberts, fiddle; Asa Martin, guitar.

    Richmond IN 3/15/29 Supertone 9670

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