Lee Stripling: Gone at 87;
memorials still going
Lee Stripling
performing in 2006.
Lee Stripling passed away from complications from lung cancer on April 20, 2009 at the age of 87. He played two gigs the day before he entered the hospital and played five tunes with a visitor the day before he died -- cheerful, optimistic and loving, same as he'd been all of his life.
Anyone who wonders about the health of community should have been on hand to see how Lee's Memorial Celebration came together at the Mount Baker Community Club on May 13. Of the estimated 250 who attended, a large percentage came early to help, and many stayed for the cleanup.
There was laughter, tears, a preview of his documentary, short but meaningful oration and, of course, wonderful music and dancing.The depth of how much he was loved and why he was loved were abundantly evident. The Northwest oldtime music and contra dance community sure know how to put on a party.
Musical tributes will continue. Additional celebrations will be held this summer in Alabama and Montana for family and friends.
Please consider contributing to the new Lee Stripling Young Fiddlers' Scholarship Fund to provide opportunity for promising young fiddlers who'd like to attend Centrum's Festival of American Fiddle Tunes. Make checks out to Centrum, and send to Centrum, PO Box 1158, Port Townsend, WA, 98368. Please include Lee Stripling Scholarship in the memo line, along with a note including that designation. The response so far has been outstanding.
His daughters thank his many friends in the music community and beyond for their years of support and kindness. Contact Carol Stripling or Sherry Stripling with questions.
Lee as we knew him:
Keeper of the toe-tapping tradition
From the red clay of Alabama to the soggy bottom of the Pacific Northwest, Lee Striplingsparked the grumpy to smile and the lazy to get up and dance after taking up the fiddle seriously again in his 70s. Vibrant until 87, Lee played old-time fiddle with the driving sound that was the hallmark of his father, Charlie Stripling, who sold more records than any other Alabama fiddler.
A new generation has fallen for Lee’s cheerful tunes that harken to what was supposed to be his prime – except that his prime kept going. Playing tunes from the Great Depression, the war years and the silky harmony of cowboy songs from Bob Wills and the Sons of the Pioneers, Lee and his bands leave behind two CDs and many memories.
Documentary preview a hit at Fiddle Tunes
The Library of Congress took note of Lee’s remarkable comeback and helped fund the documentary “Winging My Way Back Home: The Stripling Fiddle Legacy”. A preview version was shown to excellent review at the 2008 Festival of American Fiddle Tunes in Port Townsend. Look for the completed film in 2010. Seattle filmmaker Jeri Vaughn followed Lee across the country for three years, documenting one of the last great hurrahs of old-time Alabama fiddle and the buoyant response of younger musicians.