Ledgerwood, Leland

Leland Ledgerwood father, William Layfayette Ledgerwood, was born in Grainger County, Tenn., in 1889. He left Tennessee to work in the coal mines of Virginia, but soon moved to Ohio, where he married Gladys Jane Allen in 1915. In 1916, Ledgerwood formed the string band Ledgerwood's Tennessee Fiddlers with his wife, brother Fred, Bill James, and Gerald Flynn. The group performed in and around Warren, Ohio, during the late 1920s. The band eventually included some of Gladys and William Ledgerwood's children, as well as West Virginia fiddler Mack McGraw, who played with the band from the early 1930s to 1937. The band continued to perform throughout northeastern Ohio until the late 1930s or early 1940s. Both William and Gladys Ledgerwood died in Warren in 1962. Fred Ledgerwood died in Warren in 1965.

From the description of Leland Ledgerwood collection, 1880-1998. WorldCat record id: 45072080

William Lafayette Ledgerwood, fiddle player and band-leader of Ledgerwood's Tennessee Fiddlers, was born in Grainger County, Tenn., to John T. Ledgerwood (1869-1937) and Mary Willis Ledgerwood (1871-1922) in 1889. Ledgerwood family history in the United States dates back to 1738, when another William Ledgerwood, born in Ireland in 1701, settled with his family in Augusta County, Va. Eventually, the Ledgerwoods migrated to Tennessee, where William Lafayette Ledgerwood's grandfather David (1816-1888) was born.

William Ledgerwood's family supported itself by growing and selling apples. John Ledgerwood also kept honey bees, which provided the family with some additional income. As a source of enjoyment and entertainment, music was always an important part of Ledgerwood family life. John Ledgerwood was a life-long fiddler, and both William and his younger brother Fred showed an early interest in the instrument. With the help of their father's instruction and their own natural abilities, both boys soon became accomplished musicians.

While still a young man in his early twenties, William Ledgerwood left his family's home in Tennessee to seek work in the coal mines of Virginia. In 1913, at the urging of a friend who had left the mines for a better paying and less dangerous job in the city, William left coal mining and relocated to Warren, Ohio. In 1915, he married Gladys Jane Allen, a pianist from Paulding County, Ohio. The following year, his younger brother Fred arrived in Warren, and the family tradition of music was re-ignited. Family performances were popular with friends and neighbors, and eventually, William formed a small string band including his wife on piano and himself and Fred on fiddles. Non-family members Gerald Flynn on mandolin and Bill James on banjo completed the band. The name Ledgerwood's Tennessee Fiddlers was chosen, and the group performed publicly throughout northeastern Ohio during the late 1920s, broadcasting weekly from radio station WKBN in Youngstown, Ohio, from 1927 through 1930.

Over the years, the band went through a few personnel and name changes. At one point, they broadcast from WKBN as the Ledgerwood-Harmison Old Time String Band. Another incarnation of the group included William, Fred, and Gladys Ledgerwood, along with three of Gladys' and William's children. For much of the 1930s, Mack McGraw, a fiddler from West Virginia related to Cowboy Copas, played with the band. Ledgerwood's Tennessee Fiddlers enjoyed success throughout their community, eventually altering their string band format by adding a drummer and saxophone players in order to cater to the dance market before eventually disbanding sometime during the late 1930s or early 1940s. Both William and Gladys Ledgerwood died in Warren, Ohio, in 1962. Fred Ledgerwood died three years later in 1965.

The Ledgerwood family music tradition was taken up by Gladys' and William's children and grandchildren. Their eldest son Allen Ledgerwood, who began with the band on banjo and guitar, eventually switched to string bass. During the early years of World War II, Allen performed with a swing band throughout Ohio and Pennsylvania. After the war, he relocated from Ohio to Los Angeles, Calif., where he lived and performed with jazz bands until his death in 1984. In addition to their own participation in the family band, younger brothers Lynn and Leland performed as a duo separate from the Ledgerwood's Tennessee Fiddlers from 1931 to 1934. Leland Ledgerwood began his musical career as a fiddler, but eventually switched to saxophone. His daughter is a jazz pianist who performs and teaches in New York City.

From the guide to the Leland Ledgerwood Collection, 1880-1998, (Southern Folklife Collection)