| Mellie Dunham | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Alanson Mellen Dunham |
| Born | (1853-07-29)July 29, 1853 |
| Died | September 28, 1931(1931-09-28) (aged 78) |
| Genres | Country |
| Occupation | Snowshoe maker |
| Instrument | Fiddle |
Mellie Dunham (July 29, 1853 - September 27, 1931) was an American fiddler during the early twentieth century. Dunham was born in Norway, Maine, the son of Alanson Mellen Dunham and Christiana Bent. He came to prominence after he was invited to play for Henry Ford at his house in Dearborn, Michigan. Ford sent a Pullman car for Dunham and his wife, Emma "Gram" Dunham (nÊe Richardson), because of Ford's love of country music. While Ford had invited 38 other fiddlers before Dunham, none received as much attention as Dunham did.
He was also a snowshoe maker, supplying 60 pairs of snowshoes to Commodore Robert Peary for an Arctic expedition.
Dunham died on September 27, 1931, in Lewiston, Maine, after a two-week illness, and was buried in Pine Grove Cemetery, South Paris, Maine.
References
- ^ Wells, Paul F. (Autumn 1976). "Mellie Dunham: "Maine's Champion Fiddler"". John Edwards Memorial Foundation Quarterly. 12 (43). Archived from the original on 2008-12-22. Retrieved 2008-11-29.
- "Melody Three". Time Magazine. Dec 21, 1925. Archived from the original on February 19, 2012. Retrieved 2008-11-30.
- "Mellie Dunham making snowshoes, ca. 1925". Maine Memory Network. Maine Historical Society. Retrieved 2008-11-30.
- "MELLIE DUNHAM, NOTED FIDDLER, DIES". New York Times. September 28, 1931. p. 17. Retrieved 2008-11-30.
External links
- "Mellie Dunham and His Orch - Mountain Rangers 1926" (MP3 and streaming audio). 1926. Retrieved 2008-11-30.
- "Mellie Dunham: Fiddling to Fame". The Maine Experience. Maine Public Broadcasting Network.
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