Willie T. Narmour and Shellie Walton Smith

William Thomas Narmour (03/22/1889–03/24/1961) was one of Mississippi’s most influential early fiddlers, widely known for “Carroll County Blues,” his distinctive fiddle style, and a unique body of tunes. Narmour was born in Ackerman, Choctaw County, Mississippi. Seven years later, his family moved to Carroll County, where he remained until he died at the age of 72. While the Narmour and Smith recordings quote fragments of traditional fiddle tunes, they never play a tune unaltered. They added new bits of melody and left out parts that they perhaps forgot or found uninteresting. The resulting music is creatively woven into something unique and personal. Most of Narmour and Smith’s records credit them at composers.