Many of you will remember Lee Stripling (1921 – 2009), who passed away last week at the age of 87. Last year at Fiddle Tunes, we had a special Alabama focus centered on Lee, with players from that state as well as Lee’s band from Seattle – Bruce Reid, Bonnie Zahnow, and Tony Mates.

Lee Stripling was a master fiddler in the western Alabama style of his father, Charlie, as well as in the swing fiddle styles he learned as a teenager.  He lived in Seattle most of his adult life, and loved attending the Festival of American Fiddle Tunes each year.  He was on the Fiddle Tunes faculty twice, in 2000 and 2008. Lee was known for encouraging everyone in their musical pursuits, and he had a special enthusiasm for young fiddlers.

To honor Lee, his daughters Sherry and Carol have created a Fiddle Tunes scholarship fund in his name – the Lee Stripling Young Fiddlers Scholarship Fund. Money donated to this fund will be used to provide tuition and room and board for a young fiddler each year at the workshop.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to The Lee Stripling Young Fiddlers Scholarship Fund at Centrum's Festival of American Fiddle Tunes:
https://centrum.org/donorsvolunteers/giving-together.html

More information about Lee Stripling can be found at his website:
http://www.leestripling.com

Here is the link to his Seattle Times obituary:
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2009113640_striplingobit24m.html